Seller of Counterfeit Contact Lenses Indicted

A Nevada federal grand jury has indicted Dmitriy Melnik on one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and to introduce into interstate commerce misbranded devices, four counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, and five counts of introducing misbranded devices into interstate commerce. A Justice Department news release says that Melnik ran a large operation selling counterfeit and misbranded contact lenses online to customers throughout the U.S.

According to the indictment, Melnik imported thousands of colored contact lenses from China and South Korea that he knew were counterfeit, unauthorized by FDA for import to and sale in the U.S., or both. Many of the lenses bore counterfeit trademarks for Novartis’ Ciba Vision products and others had labels of brands purchased and sold in Asia.

The release says that some of the lenses Melnik sold were tested and allegedly found to be contaminated with possibly hazardous bacteria.