An Ohio man has been indicted on charges of smuggling body armor from China and selling it as American-made to law enforcement agencies, according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice. Vall Iliev, 69, stands accused of importing foreign-made body armor from around 2017 to October 2023 and falsely labeling it as domestically produced and certified for protection.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents intercepted the shipment at the Blaine, Washington port of entry last May when they discovered a Canadian-registered truck loaded with ballistic body armor plates marked with the origin of the People's Republic of China, a tactic known as "Master Carton Smuggling," according to U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, which is used to evade detection by officials. The gear was destined for Iliev’s business, Vallmar Studios, in Stow, Ohio, which, investigators allege, functioned as a hub for processing these shipments before they were sold through ShotStop Ballistics, Iliev’s second business.
The seized plates reportedly failed to meet the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice (NIJ) standards for Level III protection, as determined by testing conducted at Oregon Ballistic Laboratories. This suggests that the gear would not withstand the more stringent requirements for Level IV certification, casting doubts on their effectiveness as reliable safety equipment for law enforcement personnel.
"ShotStop Ballistics conducted business through its website and sold body armor to the public" and across the nation, touting its products as "Made in Stow, Ohio” and “NIJ Certified," according to U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Ohio, despite the lack of substantiating documentation required for NIJ endorsement, the DOJ reported. Iliev allegedly directed workers to affix counterfeit labels to the imported body armor, misleading customers about the authenticity and safety of their purchased products. Iliev's companies had obtained valid NIJ certifications in the past. However, he never verified the PRC-manufactured body armor through NIJ-certified testing.
For individuals who have purchased armor from ShotStop Ballistics since 2018, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) advises ceasing use for safety reasons and requests that customers who have purchased products from ShotStop Ballistics email their invoice to [email protected]. Assistant U.S. Attorney Duncan T. Brown is currently prosecuting the Northern District of Ohio case, and Vall Iliev is presumed innocent with a fair trial pending to determine his guilt.
