According to prosecutors, Ohaion sold body armor plates to many law enforcement agencies in the United States.
Ohio businessmen are accused of importing Chinese-made body armor plates and selling them to many law enforcement agencies in the United States as American-made goods.
He allegedly instructed employees to label these products “Made in Stow, Ohio” and to attach counterfeit trademarks of the U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to Chinese imports. Iliev then sold these brands of products through two businesses: Shot Stop Ballistics and Vallmar Studios.
NIJ, the Department of Justice research, evaluation and technical agency, has set voluntary body armor standards in the United States since 1972. I manage a program to test whether ARMOR plates can resist the effects of various bullets without penetrating them. The armor is then ranked according to the NIJ grading system, with Level IV being the highest level of bulletproof.
Prosecutors say Shot Stop Ballistics, founded in 2015, reportedly sold Chinese products as Level III and Level IV body armor plates.
Some of the fake NIJ labels have designated Chinese products as “Level III+” or “Level IV+HD” certification.
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According to prosecutors, two Iliev companies have previously been NIJ certified to manufacture Level III and Level IV body armor plates, allowing them to sell the product as American-made products.
China’s imports have never been tested based on NIJ standards, according to prosecutors.
The defendant “regularly sent “patents, detailed NIJ specifications and manufacturing instructions” to Chinese co-conspirators via email, court documents said.
In May 2023, customs officials at Washington’s port of Brain Entry intercepted a truck carrying more than 200 body armor plates hidden in “pre-packaged boxes within larger shipping containers,” prosecutors said it was being used by smugglers to avoid detection.
The box, born from China, was addressed to Vallmar Studios, who said the prosecutors served as a warehouse for the defendants.
In October 2023, investigators discovered thousands of Chinese-made body armor plates at Shot Stop Ballistics and Valmer Studios, but court documents revealed that no equipment for the Manufacturing Level III or Level IV body armor plates was found at both locations. They found a laser printer that they could use to print fake labels.
Investigators also found that because of the body armor plates from 2017 to 2023, the companies “maintain electronic records of sales invoices to numerous law enforcement agencies in the United States and elsewhere,” according to court documents.
According to court documents, Iliev is charged with conspiracy to smuggle goods into the United States, conspiracy to counterfeit traffic, and conspiracy to commit mail and fire fraud.
The Epoch Times contacted Ilyev’s lawyer for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
Shot stop ballistic
Shot Stop Ballistics was dissolved in November 2023 following the discovery of investigators a month ago, as reported in court documents.
According to the bankruptcy petition, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection in May 2024.
The company estimates its assets are around $357,015 and its liability is $642,200, and the bankruptcy petition reports annual revenue of about $5 million in 2023 and over $4.5 million in 2022.
According to court documents, on October 8, 2024, 56 customers of Shot Stop Ballistics filed a warranty claim against us.
The 56 creditors included law enforcement agencies, including the Akron Police Department in Ohio, the Columbus Police Department in Ohio, the Columbus Police Department in Ohio, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Alaska State Police Officer, Kansas City Department of Homeland Security, and Missouri Department of Homeland Security.
Others include gear retailers and security companies, as well as the NASA Glen Research Center in Ohio, Berkeley City, California, and the Pennsylvania Sheriff’s Association.
The report also found that counterfeit goods from China and Hong Kong account for around 90% of the total seized amount.
