Corona, CA: Fugitive sought in counterfeit rifle sights scheme

Authorities are seeking the co-owner of an Anaheim online gun equipment business who is charged, along with his business partner and an office manager, in a scheme to sell counterfeit high-tech rifle sights over the Internet.

Yongming "Steven" Sui, 53, the chief executive officer of Field Sport, Inc., faces two felony counts – manufacturing and selling a trademarked product and possession of an assault weapon. An arrest warrant was issued Friday for the Corona resident, who authorities believe is in China.

His office manager, Pao Sheng Yang, 34, also of Corona, and co-owner, Isaac Cheuk Hang Tse, 65, of Rowland Heights, face the same charges. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in prison. Tse is being held in lieu of $20,000 bail and Yang is free on $20,000 bail.

The criminal charges stem from a probe that began in early March after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers conducting a routine mail inspection discovered approximately 700 counterfeit sights and 200 magnifier systems in a shipment sent from China to Field Sport's headquarters in Anaheim, authorities said.

Tse, Sui, and Yang are each accused of manufacturing and advertising the counterfeit goods. EOTech, a United States-based corporation, holds the trademark on the manufacturing and sales of the weapon components, according to news releases. The shipment authorities found has a retail value of approximately $475,000.

Last Wednesday, ICE and Anaheim police detectives arrested Tse and Yang at Field Sport's Anaheim headquarters. A search at 3325 Mira Loma, Suite 122, yielded two assault rifles and an additional 778 counterfeit gun sights, with an approximate retail value of more than $400,000, authorities said.

The case was investigated by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the Anaheim Police Department. The Orange County District Attorney's Office is prosecuting.

"Any time you purchase a knockoff or pirated product, it's a virtual certainty the quality and reliability will be inferior to the genuine article. When you're talking about counterfeit gun sights, the implications are frightening," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge for ICE's Homeland Security Investigations in Los Angeles, in a statement.

Tse and Yang are scheduled for a continued arraignment April 22 at the North Justice Center in Fullerton.