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Man indicted for selling counterfeit contacts

Posted at 3:30 PM, Feb 11, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-11 18:31:05-05

A federal grand jury in the District of Nevada has charged a Las Vegas resident with running a large operation selling counterfeit and misbranded contact lenses online to customers throughout the United States.

Dmitriy V. Melnik, 29, was charged with 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.

Melnik allegedly imported thousands of colored contact lenses from the People’s Republic of China and South Korea that he knew were counterfeit. Many of these contact lenses bore counterfeit trademarks for Ciba Vision FreshLook COLORBLENDS, which are manufactured by Novartis International AG, and others had labels of brands of contact lenses produced and sold in Asia.

Melnik allegedly sold “authentic” contact lenses to customers without a prescription and without adequate directions for use or adequate warnings. Some of the contact lenses that Melnik sold were tested and allegedly found to be contaminated with possibly hazardous bacteria.

Melnik has only been indicted at this time. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.