video surveillance camera

Security Tech Company Raided, Charged With Selling Chinese-Made Equipment to Federal Agencies

Seven current and former employees at Aventura Technologies are facing federal charges for falsely claiming their products were manufactured in the U.S.

A New York-based security technology company and seven current and former senior employees have been charged with fraud, money laundering and illegal importation of Chinese-manufactured equipment, the Justice Department announced on Thursday.

The headquarters of Aventura Technologies was raided on Thursday after federal agents arrested senior executives, current and former employees, and the owners of the company, Jack Cabasso and his wife Frances Cabasso. The raid on Long Island involved dozens of investigators who hauled away containers of equipment from the facility, NBC News reported.

All seven Aventura employees were charged with selling Chinese-made equipment that they claimed was made in the U.S. to clients that included the U.S. Air Force, the Navy and the Department of Energy. The surveillance equipment had “known cybersecurity vulnerability to government and private customers,” according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

 

 

“The defendants falsely claimed for years that their surveillance and security equipment was manufactured on Long Island, padding their pockets with money from lucrative contracts without regard for the risk to our country’s national security posed by secretly peddling made-in-China electronics with known cyber vulnerabilities,” U.S. Attorney Richard P. Donoghue said in a statement.

Donoghue added: “They will face serious consequences for slapping phony ‘Made in the U.S.A.’ labels on products that our armed forces and other sensitive government facilities depended upon.”

The scheme had been ongoing since 2006, seven years after Aventura opened in 1999, according to the attorney’s office. The company offered a variety of security services and products, ranging from video surveillance management and facial recognition software to turnstiles and body scanners.

Four of the employees were also charged with defrauding the government by claiming that Frances Cabasso was the owner and operator of the company. While Jack Cabasso’s official title was managing director, he was Aventura’s de facto owner, not his wife, according to the federal complaint.

The company said that Frances was the owner so Aventura could obtain access to “valuable government contracts reserved for women-owned businesses,” according to the attorney’s office press release. The Cabassos are also charged with laundering the monetary proceeds of the schemes.

Six defendants were arrested on Thursday morning, and the government has frozen approximately $3 million in 12 financial accounts containing proceeds from the defendants.

“Greed is at the heart of this scheme, a reprehensible motive when the subjects in this case allegedly put into question the security of men and women who don uniforms each day to protect our nation,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge William Sweeney said in a statement. “There is no mistaking the cyber vulnerabilities created when this company sold electronic surveillance products made in [China], and then using those items in our government agencies and the branches of our armed forces.”

The Security Industry Association, of which Aventura is a member, issued a statement Thursday evening saying that SIA finds the charges "very serious" and represents business practices that SIA "does not condone." 

"SIA strongly encourages its members to operate ethically and comply with all U.S. laws and regulations," the association said. "The SIA Board of Directors has begun to review these charges and the status of Aventura’s membership in SIA."

About the Author

Haley Samsel is an Associate Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.

Featured

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

  • Report: Cyber Attackers Continue to Turn to AI-Based Tools to Avoid Detection

    Comcast Business recently released its 2025 Cybersecurity Threat Report, a comprehensive analysis of 34.6 billion cybersecurity events detected between June 1,2024 and May 31, 2025. Now in its third year, the report offers business leaders a unique perspective into the evolving threat landscape and provides actionable insights to help organizations strengthen their defenses and align cybersecurity with business risk. Read Now

  • Axis Communications Creates AI-powered Video Surveillance Orchestra

    What if cameras could not only see the world, but interpret it—and respond like orchestra musicians reading sheet music: instantly, precisely, and in perfect harmony? That’s what global network technology leader Axis Communications set to find out. Read Now

  • Just as Expected

    GSX produced a wonderful tradeshow earlier this week. Monday was surprisingly strong in the morning, and the afternoon wasn’t bad at all. That’s Monday’s results and asking attendees to travel on Sunday. Just a quick hint, no one wants to give up their weekend to travel and set up an exhibit booth. I’m just saying. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX
  • NOLA: The Crescent City

    Twenty years later we finds ourselves in New Orleans. Twenty years ago the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina forced exhibitors and attendees to look elsewhere for tradeshow floor space. Read Now

    • Industry Events
    • GSX

New Products

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.