A Plymouth man, identified as 75-year-old Benjamin Paley, faces charges for his involvement in a complex international scheme of peddling counterfeit computer network devices. In a recent announcement by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick, the indictment detailed Paley's operations through his IT business, GEN8 Services, Inc., where he is accused of collaborating with others to sell fraudulent software license keys for networking hardware known as "Brocade switches."
These switches, essential in maintaining robust computer networks across various sectors, require legitimate licenses that can fetch anywhere from $1,400 to upwards of $100,000. However, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Paley and his cohorts, Wade Huber and David Rosenblatt, opted for a lucrative shortcut. Together they orchestrated an illicit trade of counterfeit licenses at far less than the market rate, ultimately causing Brocade — a San Jose-based tech firm — millions in financial damages from 2014 through April 2022.
The scheme involved more than 3,000 counterfeit license keys, with Paley playing his part by using information from Huber and Rosenblatt’s communications with clients to procure these keys. The knock-off keys enabled unauthorized access to Brocade switch features, unbeknownst to the clients who were snatched into the underbelly of a black market operation. Paley now faces one count of conspiracy to commit access device fraud and three counts of access device fraud, he is scheduled to make his initial appearances in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Douglas L. Micko on October 10.
Meanwhile, Huber and Rosenblatt have already pleaded guilty to their charges as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Their sentencing awaits. As the FBI continues its investigation into this elaborate fraud, the prosecution falls to Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew S. Ebert for the District of Minnesota, aided by Assistant Deputy Chief Adrienne Rose and Trial Attorney Bryce Rosenbower of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS). It should be noted that at this juncture, an indictment remains an allegation, and the accused, Mr. Paley, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
