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PORTLAND, Ore.—On Tuesday, April 16, 2019, Mark Aaron Culp, 56, of Columbia City, Oregon, pleaded guilty to knowingly trafficking counterfeit, Chinese-made Leupold-branded rifle scopes online. Leupold & Stevens, Inc., an Oregon company, manufactures its rifle scopes in Beaverton, Oregon.
According to court documents, between May and July 2015, Culp sold rifle optics bearing various Leupold trademarks and design features online via at least two commercial websites: GunBroker.com and eBay. Culp sold 13 counterfeit rifle scopes that he had imported from China, generating approximately $3,700 in revenue.
Culp’s sales were discovered by Leupold & Stevens personnel. They purchased a scope from Culp online, confirmed that it was counterfeit, and referred the matter to the Beaverton Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Culp faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $2 million fine and 3 years of supervised release. He will be sentenced on July 18, 2019 before U.S. District Court Judge Anna J. Brown.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Ryan W. Bounds, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
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