Bullying and Corruption Within The DOJ

A Response to Accusations, by Ed Dovner

First Choice Armor & Equipment, Inc, founded by Ed Dovner with only $10,000, achieved impressive success saving lives through the production of bullet-proof vests, with sales reaching over $100 million. The company, based in Spindale, NC, worked with domestic police departments and militaries worldwide, supplying substantial quantities of protective vests and plates. In particular, the Bush administration purchased 200,000 vests and 400,000 plates.

Never a Failure

The Department of Justice (DOJ) certified all of First Choice's vests through an exhaustive and rigorous testing process using only DOJ approved labs and facilities. A First Choice ballistic engineer was always present to witness and certify the process and results. With hundreds of hours of stress tests and millions of products in use around the world, there has never been a single reported First Choice product failure resulting in injury. Ever.

A Turning Point

A turning point came when a defect was discovered in the ballistic fiber supplied by Toyobo Co., Ltd for the manufacture of First Choice's bullet-proof vests. It was found that Toyobo's product Zylon, produced between 2001 and 2005 and sold to ballistic vest manufactures around the world, would degrade quickly under normal conditions rendering the ballistic vests unfit for use. When First Choice and Ed Dovner learned of this defect, they immediately took action refunding and replacing all potentially compromised vests, costing the company millions of dollars. The problem was, First Choice was the last to know.

Timeline of Events

Toyobo discovers a defect in their Zylon product and attempts to cover it up.
The DOJ finds out about the defect and begins to investigate.
First Choice is informed of the defect by Toyobo and refunds / replaces all affected products
The DOJ re-tests 8 old First Choice vests without a First Choice engineer involved. They fail.
The DOJ sues First Choice for $22 Million, asserting the company knowingly sold defective vests
The DOJ sues Toyobo for $66 Million, asserting the company knowingly sold defective material

Strongarm Tactics, Corruption and Bullying

During a meeting in Washington DC between First Choice and the DOJ, where an image of an ostrich with its head buried in the sand was projected on the wall, the company and its owner, Ed Dovner, were accused of knowingly ignoring safety concerns and putting lives at risk. Despite proactively spending millions to right the situation, it was in this meeting First Choice was told, in no uncertain terms, if the company did not settle with the DOJ for the full $22 million, the company and the reputations of its founders would be dragged through the mud. Mr. Dovner, feeling the company had acted rightly and in good faith, decided NOT to settle. What followed was a campaign of misinformation and attacks against the company and Mr. Dovner and his family personally, resulting in irreparable damage to First Choice's business. After this, Mr. Dovner was again approached by the DOJ and pressured to settle for the full amount. Against his lawyers council, Mr. Dovner felt compelled to stand up against the accusations and tactics used by the DOJ and not settle.

Outcome

Ultimately, First Choice and the DOJ independently ended up suing Toyobo and winning their cases. After months of legal sparring, Mr. Dovner and the DOJ did settle the suit... for $225,000. The DOJ retracted its accusations against First Choice and Mr. Dovner asserting that they did not knowingly produce or sell vests with the defective material. However, after irreparable damage to First Choice's business and ongoing damage to Mr. Dovner's reputation, the DOJ never publicly published the retraction, nor have they made any effort to remove or correct the previously published inaccurate statements.

Personal Note

"Our story highlights the challenges of dealing with small people in positions of power within our justice system. The DOJ tried to fleece us for $22 million through strong arm and bullying tactics, the results of which I am still dealing with today. The corruption and actions of the government in this case, and who knows how many others, are why I felt compelled to stand up for the integrity of my company and for myself personally and to publish this response to the misinformation still showing up in Internet search results today."

- Ed Dovner