HARTFORD — Federal prosecutions in Connecticut are highlighting government efforts to eliminate counterfeit parts from the supply chain for U.S. defense contractors.
Peter Picone, of Methuen, Massachusetts, was sentenced last week to more than three years in prison for selling counterfeit electronic parts from China and Hong Kong for use in U.S. Navy submarines.
Another man is awaiting sentencing for supplying unapproved computer chips for military helicopters built by Stratford, Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp.
The issue gained urgency with a 2011 investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee that found 1,800 cases of suspected counterfeit parts in the defense supply chain over a two-year period.
Measures adopted to crack down in the imitation parts include a new statute with stiffer penalties for those involved in shipping.
