Criminal law, Military

U.S. Military Buys Defective Chinese -Made Parkas That Would Help Enemy See Troops

The U.S. military spent $20 million on parkas that were supposed to counter night vision googles and allow our Air Force personnel to move undetected in combat. Instead, the parkas were counterfeited Chinese products that lacked any night vision capabilities — exposing any troops to detection by the enemy. The persons responsible for this potentially lethal fraud were not just our friends in China but Ramin Kohanbash, 49, and other associates, operating a Brooklyn, New York, clothing and goods wholesaler. They are now criminally charged. If proven, the depravity of this crime is truly overwhelming. Kohanbash allegedly conspired with the Chinese to get rich at the possible cost of the sons and daughters of other Americans who are serving in war zones.

The contract was for U.S. Air Force personnel stationed in Afghanistan. These parkas are supposed to be made from a fabric known as Multicam®, which incorporates specialized near-infrared (“NIR”) management technology designed to make the wearer more difficult to detect with equipment such as night-vision goggles:

“According to the information, two hundred of these counterfeit Multicam® parkas, lacking the critical NIR management technology, were sold to a U.S. Air Force Base Supply Center. Other items carried labels that allegedly made explicit, and false, representations about the product’s safety. In one case, labels on counterfeit hoods intended for military and law enforcement personnel stated that the items were “permanently flame resistant,” and that they met a specific industry standard for flame-resistant attire. In reality, the counterfeit hoods were not flame resistant. “

The charges being brought in Providence, R.I., detail allegations of how Kohanbash provided samples of military uniforms and gear to manufacturers in China to replicate even though federal law requires U.S. manufacturing. The Berry Amendment and the Trade Agreements Act (“TAA”), require that goods sold to the military and certain agencies be manufactured in the United States and certain other designated countries. Kohanbash is accused of providing false certification letters claiming that the goods were made in the U.S..  Kohanbash also alleged misrepresented that the goods met TAA requirements. The Justice Department details how…

“Kohanbash and his co-conspirators provided, reviewed, and approved photographs, descriptions, and samples of tags and labels to be attached to the knockoff products, so that the counterfeit versions appeared legitimate.  In many instances, this process allegedly involved copying the trademarks and brand names of actual U.S.-made products and adding them to the foreign counterfeit versions.”

So our military personnel were left in Afghanistan with parkas that were neither flame resistant nor shielded from night vision. The FBI also claims that it seized 1,700 boxes of counterfeit military uniform items that included ponchos, gloves and fleece jackets.

25 thoughts on “U.S. Military Buys Defective Chinese -Made Parkas That Would Help Enemy See Troops”

  1. Ramin Kohanbash should be outfitted with these defective goods and sent to S. Korea and attempt to sneak across the border to N. Korea. If he succeeds, he can face a firing squad here.

  2. I hope they throw the book at these criminals. However, I do have to ask why they goods were being purchased through wholesalers rather than directly from the manufacturers. Normal military procurement contracts are with the manufacturer who manufactures to the specs provided by the military.

  3. Now you understand why Washington and Jay were concerned with precluding foreign allegiances requiring the President to be a “natural born citizen” – to avoid foreign allegiances by the commander-in-chief. During Obama’s disastrous administration, America was “fundamentally transformed” to favor his foreign allegiances. Obama will never be a “natural born citizen,” as defined in the text and reference cited by the American Founders, the Law of Nations. Obama was the son of an anti-Colonialist, anti-American, African, Muslim activist and extremist who was jailed by the British for six months. Obama’s father was an alcoholic and an unemployable blacklisted failure who died in his third mysterious car crash. Obviously, Barry Soetoro, aka Barack Obama, had foreign allegiances which precluded any hypothetical allegiance to America.
    _______________________________

    To George Washington from John Jay, 25 July 1787

    From John Jay

    New York 25 July 1787

    Dear Sir

    I was this morning honored with your Excellency’s Favor of the 22d

    Inst: & immediately delivered the Letter it enclosed to Commodore

    Jones, who being detained by Business, did not go in the french Packet,

    which sailed Yesterday.

    Permit me to hint, whether it would not be wise & seasonable to

    provide a strong check to the admission of Foreigners into the

    administration of our national Government, and to declare expressly that the Command in chief of the

    american army shall not be given to, nor devolved on, any but a natural born Citizen.

    Mrs Jay is obliged by your attention, and assures You of her perfect

    Esteem & Regard—with similar Sentiments the most cordial and sincere

    I remain Dear Sir Your faithful Friend & Servt

    John Jay

  4. And Hillary Clinton approved the sale of Uranium One, with mining interests in the U.S., to Putin to facilitate “contributions” to the “Clinton Foundation.”

    Now America buys uranium from Putin.
    _________________________

    “Controversy surrounding the deal largely pertains to 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, who was secretary of state in 2010 when the State Department signed off on Rosatom’s purchase of Uranium One. Several of Uranium One’s owners were also donors to the Clinton Foundation, giving $145 million to the charitable foundation, and critics have alleged that Clinton greenlighted the sale to appease donors to her family’s charity.”

    – Politico

  5. Outsourcing military supplies or components to a country that declared a “people’s war” against us was poor logistics.

    It’s about more than the cost savings.

    1. What was the date of the transaction? Who were the political backers of the transaction?

      This wants more information as the lack of it is …. fishy….

      The rest of the story please?

      1. When did the sale take place? Who was involved? When was the fraud found out? When were charges first filed. All the references are skirting those basic facts. But from what I read This administration seems to have on the ball and doing the right thing…..

        So why are the dates covered up?

        Absent that part about uranium a side trip but then that was Clintons personal money making deal.

        1. Here are some of the dates involved:

          “The U.S. military, government agencies and other purchasers bought more than $20 million worth of Chinese-made counterfeit goods designed to look like domestically produced gear from a company that defrauded the government and helped to orchestrate the counterfeiting process between January 2013 and October 2018, Justice Department officials said last week…
          …He and his associates sent samples of legitimate U.S. military uniforms and gear to Chinese manufacturers, who then replicated the designs, according to a May 21 filing in U.S. District Court.”
          https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-air-force/2019/05/30/dod-bought-phony-military-gear-made-in-china-including-counter-night-vision-clothing-that-didnt-actually-work/

          I didn’t find any info on when/how the fraud was discovered. Hope no one was killed or injured before this came out.

      2. The sale probably predated the souring of relations with China, although Russia has been courting them for some time.

        In general, foreign sourcing of military components is problematic. However, much of our manufacturing has been sent overseas, sometimes leaving limited options.

        Our government procurement system has been due for an overhaul for a while. Regardless of this particular story, we do need to make sure our military equipment is secure, as well as improve our procurement process to get more for our dollars.

  7. Make the seller wear the parka. Take him to a Fort in America and tell him to run in the dark and we will see if we can see him and shoot him.

  8. Many moons ago I was developing a cheep surveillance drone. We hired a general to get us in the door. His first suggestion was to increase the price by 100 X. This was to let all the in betweens ( including him) to take a cut. $20,000 for a drone we could build for under $100. I was disgusted and walked away from the program for that and other issues. My partner developed a lighting system for downed pilots. Cost $12 to build. Partnered with a Chinese american house painter to get in the minority program in procurement. Built in a garage and sold for $1800 each.

  12. completely a pernicious attitude that has enveloped our federal machine. who is guarding the gates to this leviathan and keeping We the People’s best interest as the standard for action.

    I doubt nothing less than a complete moral fumigation of government at all levels will save this nation

  13. “If proven, the depravity of this crime is truly overwhelming.”

    I thought this purchasing procedure had become standard operating procedure since the 90s. I also thought we actually used Chinese contractors for strategic high tech gadgets. Any rational thinking civilian would see this is farcical to a Monty Python extreme, but that is government at work. Carry on.

      1. such as the diversity among molecules of iron and carbon in steel is successful

        other sorts of diversity often not nearly so successful

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