Dealer jailed over phoney Cisco routers

Generic routing equipment was rebadged with the Cisco brand

A computer reseller has been jailed for two and a half years after an investigation by the FBI into counterfeit computer equipment.

Yongcai Li, a Chinese dealer based in California, was sentenced for his part in the rebadging of generic routing equipment with the Cisco brand.

Li, also known as Michael Lee, sold the routers via his company Gaoyi Tech. He will also have to repay $800,000 (£512,000) to Cisco in lost revenue.

Li was arrested by FBI agents at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this year, and pleaded guilty to a count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.

The FBI has been carrying out a five-year crackdown on the growing problem of counterfeit Cisco routers. The investigation has already led to 400 seizures of hardware worth more than $78m (£50m).

One of the FBI's concerns is that rebadged routers may harbour malware that is being used in industrial espionage and online crime.