Conspirators in 'Largest-Ever' Counterfeit Goods Ring Plead Guilty
Nine defendants charged with smuggling counterfeit goods from China into the U.S. pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for New Jersey, said ICE in a press release. The defendants "ran one of the largest counterfeit goods smuggling and distribution conspiracies ever charged by the U.S. Department of Justice," said ICE. From 2009 to 2012, they "and others conspired to import hundreds of containers of counterfeit goods -- primarily handbags, footwear and perfume -- from China into the United States as part of the conspiracy. These goods, if legitimate, would have had a retail value of more than $300 million."
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The counterfeit goods were smuggled from China through containers "fraudulently associated with legitimate importers, with false and fraudulent shipping paperwork playing a critical role in the smuggling scheme," said ICE. "Some of the conspirators created and managed the flow of false shipping paperwork between China and the United States and supervised the importation of counterfeit goods. Other conspirators controlled the importation of the counterfeit goods into the United States and distributed them once they arrived in the United States. After importation, the counterfeit goods were delivered to warehouses and distributed throughout New York, New Jersey and elsewhere. Certain conspirators paid large amounts of cash to undercover law enforcement officers to assist in the removal of counterfeit goods from the port."