Man Pleads Guilty To Selling Fake Chips To US Navy

itwbennett writes "Neil Felahy of Newport Coast, California, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy and counterfeit-goods trafficking for his role in a chip-counterfeiting scam. Felahy, along with his wife and her brother, operated several microchip brokerage companies under a variety of names, including MVP Micro, Red Hat Distributors, Force-One Electronics and Pentagon Components. 'They would buy counterfeit chips from China or else take legitimate chips, sand off the brand markings and melt the plastic casings with acid to make them appear to be of higher quality or a different brand,' the US Department of Justice said in a press release. The chips were then sold to Naval Sea Systems Command, the Washington, DC group responsible for maintaining the US Navy's ships and systems, as well as to an unnamed vacuum-cleaner manufacturer in the Midwest."

Comments

we still make vacumm cleaners?

[Shakrai]

That sucks ;)

Re:we still make vacumm cleaners?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not only that, I read it as an unarmed vacumm manufacturer...

Re:we still make vacumm cleaners?

[Monkeedude1212]

The chips were then sold to Naval Sea Systems Command, the Washington, D.C., group responsible for maintaining the US Navy's ships and systems, as well as an unnamed vacuum-cleaner manufacturer in the Midwest.

Wait wait wait...

Were the chips sold to both the NSSC and a Vacuum-cleaner manufacturer -

Or is the NSSC responsible for maintaining the US Navy's ships, as well as a Vacuum-cleaner manufacturer?

I think the ambiguity is amusing.

Re:we still make vacumm cleaners?

[CannonballHead]

Wasn't there a President named Hoover? ...

Re:we still make vacumm cleaners?

[Naturalis Philosopho]

At least a vacuum cleaner that dies won't kill anybody.

Yeah, if our targeting information was off and missile fell into the sea instead of hitting a house somewhere...oh, wait.

Really, how many did the Navy buy? When we take deliveries we don't pay until we've tested that we've gotten what we've paid for and that's written into our purchase contracts.

Re:we still make vacumm cleaners?

[trentblase]

The vacuum cleaner manufacturer is actually named Noiseless Sucking Appliances.

Re:we still make vacumm cleaners?

[bxbaser]

I work there, the chips where for our model BGM-109 Tomahawk

Its our newest long-range, all-weather, subsonic Vacuum cleaner.
It was designed as a medium- to long-range, low-altitude vacuum cleaner that could be launched from a submerged submarine.

Amusement du jour:

[migla]

I'm imagining someone selling the Navy fake ships.

Re:Amusement du jour:

[Tired and Emotional]

Its worse than that. We've been firing vacuum cleaners at enemy aircraft.

Re:Amusement du jour:

[The Grim Reefer2]

I'm imagining someone selling the Navy fake ships.

I was thinking that someone had sold them Pringles.

Re:Amusement du jour:

[hrimhari]

Latest US Navy project: Mega Maid.

Re:Amusement du jour:

[Thud457]

This sounds like "Our Man in Havana"

come on guys, it had Obi Wan it it!!!

Can someone please explain the crossover here?

[xpuppykickerx]

The chips were then sold to Naval Sea Systems Command, the Washington, D.C., group responsible for maintaining the US Navy's ships and systems, as well as an unnamed vacuum-cleaner manufacturer in the Midwest.

Has our Navy gone from suck to blow?

Re:Seriously?

[elzurawka]

You can get away with fraud when dealing with the government. It's the Vacuum company that got them in trouble. The government would have probably went on for a few more years buying them if it wasn't for these people getting greedy and going after the lucrative vacuum market.

Chips..?

[Burning1]

Chips? Chips!?

Common, this is Slashdot. Chips? The technical jargon in the summary is horribly confusing.

For clarity, could we please use a more generic term, such as 'computer thingamajiggy?'

Wait!

[Shrike82]

Fuck the Navy, you mean my vacuum cleaner might have sub-standard chips in it?! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

Re:Wait!

[AioKits]

Fuck the Navy, you mean my vacuum cleaner might have sub-standard chips in it?! THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!

Are you a vacuum cleaner overclocker as well? Oh man, I thought I was the only one! I'm going to go home right this moment and make sure my Nortech N552BC-NED Dual Venturi 55G doesn't have these chips on it! And after all the time I spent adding that extra fine filtration with carbon and pin striping to it... Damnit all...

since the summary was a little vague

[Z1NG]

apparently the fake chips are made with less than 50% potato, have a weird taste and are sold in a can.

Re:since the summary was a little vague

[Jello B.]

you forgot anal leakage.

Re:since the summary was a little vague

[snspdaarf]

you forgot anal leakage.

No, but God knows, I have tried.

Re:uuuh

[DigiShaman]

This is Slashdot damnit! Logic has no reason here.

Horrible Food

[murpium]

I knew those couldn't have been real Doritos

Must be one hell of a vacuum cleaner...

[ewhenn]

because the only chips in my vacuum cleaner are doritos that fell on the floor.

Re:Treason

[hrimhari]

Why, all of them, whoever they are!

Mission Accomplished

[fluidbyte]

What about that guy that sold them the fake "Mission Accomplished" banner for their aircraft carrier?

Unnamed vacuum maker?

[mollog]

I immediately thought of the quote about Microsoft; "the only time Microsoft will make something that doesn't suck is when they make a vacuum."

Did anybody else catch the reference to NCIS? Life imitates art.