The goods in one of the storage units in New York City.Photo:U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced they had seized approximately 219,000 counterfeit bags, clothes, shoes, and other luxury items from a New York City storage facility.
Per apress releasefrom the attorney’s office, the goods had a total worth of approximately $1.03 billion.
In a statement, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said the bust was a record for “knock-off designer goods.”
“As alleged, the defendants used a Manhattan storage facility as a distribution center for massive amounts of knock-off designer goods,” Williams said. “The seizures announced today consist of merchandise with over a billion dollars in estimated retail value, the largest-ever seizure of counterfeit goods in U.S. history. This is a testament to the commitment of this Office and its law enforcement partners to combat counterfeit trafficking in New York City.”
According to the release, Adama Sow and Abdulai Jalloh were arrested Wednesday morning and charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods.
The charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
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Photograph of boxes of counterfeit goods seized from Manhattan storage facility.U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said in a statement, “The trafficking of counterfeit goods is anything but a victimless crime because it harms legitimate businesses, governments, and consumers.”
source: people.com
