BOIS D' ARC, Mo. -
Dark Ops Holdings in Springfield is now out of business after the owner says he was forced to shut down, because his supplier, he says, was misrepresenting his product.
The raid happened at a mansion off Farm Road 144 in Greene County near Bois D'Arc Wednesday night. We've learned this home is owned by a man named Jim Bonis.
At issue, authorities believe Bonis was importing scopes from China, called counter sniper optics, and taking off the markings, and pawning them off as his own.
Then Thursday, the investigation moved to a business off Sunset and Kansas Expressway. It's called Dark Ops Holdings, owned by Frank Miller. Miller tells us that Bonis was his only supplier, so he had to shut down because he had no more merchandise.
Miller says he had no idea his supplier might have been erasing the Chinese markings.
Federal agents also seized his merchandise on a search warrant. Those federal documents are sealed.
As for Dark Ops, the owner Mr. Miller tells us he is the victim in this case. He says now he is out of a job, and has had to let his four employees go. Much more on this federal case, once it becomes available.
Miller is a former Greene County deputy under Sheriff Pierpont, who resigned his position around 2001 when Sheriff Jack Merritt came into office. Then, he was a Stone County reserve deputy until he resigned his position about a month ago, according to Sheriff Doug Rader. A reserve officer is an unpaid position.
Bonis is registered to that mansion in Bois D'Arc, but he also has a few other addresses we found, one in Springfield, and two in New York. He did not return our three phone calls to reach him.
