Tamer Zakhary, 49, of Toms River, New Jersey, faces charges for allegedly selling non-compliant security cameras and equipment to law enforcement agencies, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced. Zakhary, CEO of a Lyndhurst-based company, appeared in Newark federal court, charged with three counts of wire fraud and one count of making false statements.
The Ocean County government was one of the agencies that had purchased surveillance and imaging equipment from Packetalk, the company owned by Zakhary. In 2021, the company sold the county $43,000 worth of thermal imaging equipment for COVID-19 vaccination sites. Another purchase of $15,000 for similar equipment was also discovered among county records.
The company also sold license plate readers, cameras, and digital security equipment to agencies throughout the state.
The case, involving the sale of millions of dollars’ worth of equipment from August 2019 through December 2022, centers on Zakhary’s alleged misrepresentation of his products’ compliance with the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA, enacted in August 2018, restricts the federal government from using surveillance equipment from certain Chinese companies.
Zakhary’s company sold surveillance gear to various New Jersey law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors’ offices and police departments.
He allegedly claimed these products adhered to NDAA standards while sourcing them from a prohibited Chinese company. The sales included over $15 million in federal funds and grants.
The wire fraud charges could lead to a maximum of 20 years in prison each, and the false statements charge up to five years, along with potential fines. The FBI and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the inquiry leading to Zakhary’s charges.