DANG this is a long thread - board I'm a staffer on (2,300+ members) has nothing on this one...
I'm yet another fugitive from the CPF that came over to check it out - I run a small LED info/mods/review site (URL's in my sig, and since I couldn't find out whether that's allowed I'll yank it if a mod tells me I need to) and make my own mods, but don't qualify as a mfr. quite yet. However, this thread incited me to register over here for another reason entirely.
My "day job" is software development, specifically with an eye toward data security in military and government applications. As such, the mentions made briefly WRT Goncz Hi-Tech selling to the DoD piqued my interest.
So, I checked, and yes, Goncz Hi-Tech is indeed listed in the DoD Central Contractor Database, which is REQUIRED by the DoD by -all- contractors wishing to do business with the DoD as well as anyone that themselves deal with the DoD. The NAICS codes listed not only include what you'd expect for flashlight mfrs., but also strangely include codes for contruction-related electrical supply wholesaling as well as sales of new car parts. And one SIC code listed was for photographic equipment.
I then plugged the contact addresses into Microsoft's Terraserver, and got an aerial photo taken in 1994. The address appears to be a storefront in a small strip mall in a dense residential area right in the middle of Hollywood, CA. The exact photo is visible
here. While this doesn't mean the company isn't legitimate, it DOES confirm suspicions some here have voiced that the operation's a lot smaller in scale than its owner is trying to project.
If this fellow is as unscrupulous and dubious as this thread (among MANY others) are indicating, someone could easily start actions against the company by reporting their dealings with the company to both Dunn & Bradstreet (which would negatively impact the company's DUNS rating and through that cause all sorts of difficulties securing contracts) and the Defense Logistics Information Service (which could get their CCR entry yanked, killing ALL existing and pending gov't contracts). The DLIS in particular tolerates no crap from contractors - they will demand hard proof of wrongdoing but once provided with such they act swiftly and in no uncertain terms.
In other words, there are means to pursue this company if they are operating in a potentially illegal manner...
My. Goncz, you should take this as a hint to either legitimize your ENTIRE operation as Spark has mentioned, or disappear from the scene.
oO