ECIA Warns Industry to Look Out for Counterfeit Parts http://www.powerelectronics.com/power-management/ecia-warns-industry-look-out-counterfeit-parts The Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) has issued a warning on the increasing threat of counterfeit parts getting into the supply chain during component shortages. ECIA encourages the electronics industry to continue to rely on the authorized channel for components, and to report any counterfeit component activity to the Department of Justice. — For example, an arrest was recently made in Orange County, California, in connection with an electronics distributor allegedly selling counterfeit integrated circuits with military and commercial uses. The charges were leveled against the owner of PRB Logics Corporation, an Orange County-based seller of electronic components. Rogelio Vasquez “a.k.a. James Harrison” was charged in a 30-count indictment that alleges he acquired old, used and/or discarded integrated circuits from Chinese suppliers that had been repainted and remarked with counterfeit logos. The devices were further remarked with altered date codes, lot codes or countries of origin to deceive customers and end users into thinking the integrated circuits were new, according to the indictment. Vasquez then sold the counterfeit electronics as new parts made by manufacturers such as Xilinx, Analog Devices and Intel. Vasquez, who is also known as “James Harrison,” is expected to be arraigned on the indictment in United States District Court in Santa Ana. The indictment charges Vasquez with nine counts of wire fraud, 20 counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, and one count of trafficking in counterfeit military goods.
Yes... I remember this being talked about with respect to both electronic and mechanical parts for close to 20y now, even with respect to the supply chains used for military equipment. I guess this means the problem isn't getting any better.
For the military, 20 years ago, it was an annoyance. Then the Taiwanese bad capacitor disaster at millennium in high-end electronic products. Today, military-industrial complex have procurement processes filled with lawyers and outsourced talent (some overseas) — with no engineering reference. I can not tell you specifics ... due to non-disclosures ... but reality would scare you.
