BOISE, Idaho — A Boise man has pleaded guilty to his role in a multi-million dollar counterfeit cell phone scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Boise announced on Thursday.
Artur Pupko, 28, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking in counterfeit goods.
According to court records, Pupko conspired with others to operate a multi-million dollar scheme in which they sold counterfeit cell phones and accessories on Amazon.com and eBay.com. The products were misrepresented as new and genuine Apple and Samsung products.
Prosecutors said Pupko used at least six different corporate entities to smuggle counterfeit cell phones in bulk from manufacturers in Hong Kong and China, repackaged the products in the Treasure Valley, and then individually resold to consumers online as genuine and new.
As part of his plea, Pupko also admitted to selling counterfeit products to law enforcement.
Pupko is scheduled for a sentencing hearing on December 17. The charge of trafficking in counterfeit goods is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $5 million fine.
A trial for the other nine defendants in the case is scheduled to begin in October.
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