Authorities seize 1.7 million phony N95 masks from Queens counterfeiters

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said investigators had seized nearly 2 million counterfeit N95 masks from a warehouse in Long Island City. Photo courtesy of the Queens DA’s Office

By Rachel Vick

A crew of counterfeiters attempted to sell nearly 2 million phony N-95 masks to hospitals, medical workers and others in need of protection from the coronavirus, Queens prosecutors said Thursday.

Investigators seized the supply of fake N-95 masks, billed as 3M brand, from a Long Island City warehouse in possibly the largest single seizure since the start of the pandemic, said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Dyker Heights resident Zhi Zeng, the manager of the warehouse at 5-06 51st Ave., was arrested and charged with trademark counterfeiting in the first degree. The charge could carry a 15-year prison sentence.

Katz said Zheng and accomplices “let unmitigated greed for money blind them to the real value of these life saving masks,” Katz said. 

“They were not just defrauding the public. They were sold to hospitals, where healthcare workers put their lives on the line every day so all of us can live,” she added. “These heroes were confident that ... they were being protected by these masks.”

Authorities found 1,788,340 million masks, as well as name brand hand sanitizer and wipes in the warehouse. The items were purchased by undercover officers from the Fraud Bureau who determined the personal protective equipment was fake. 

Thousands of other masks have already been shipped to a hospital in the south, however. The DA’s office said it would not share the name of the hospital at the request of the facility until they have tracked down and removed the counterfeit items purchased.

The case “is in the running for worst of the worst,” said Department of Homeland Security Agent Erik Rosenblatt.

The masks were marked up at prices between $2.95 and $3.24  — more than double 3M’s suggested retail price of $1.27.

To avoid the sale and use of fake PPE, 3M has barcodes and production numbers available on their website.

“For all intents and purposes they look like the real thing, they feel like the real thing,” Katz said. “We are analyzing now to see whether they provide any protection or all the protection.”