New York Residents Sentenced to 12 Months for Roles in Counterfeit Nike Import Scheme
A federal judge sentenced two New York residents to 12 months in prison for their roles in a conspiracy to import falsely classified and counterfeit Nike shoes, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of New York. Huang Yue Feng and He Bin “Julie” Wang, formerly husband and wife, had pleaded guilty to the charges in 2009. The defendants also forfeited over $400,000 in cash and property.
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According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Feng and Bin were involved in the importation of counterfeit Nike sneakers from China which were then distributed throughout the United States. The defendants sold the counterfeit products to a codefendant in New York City, Malik Bazzi, it said. Bazzi, who was also convicted in this case, then sold the counterfeit sneakers to several individuals, including people in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, who in turn resold the counterfeit products to consumers, said the government. Some of the shoes were sold out of the back of vans, at flea markets and in clothing stores.
Wire taps by the government recorded Bin taking orders, discussing payments, and directing the delivery of the counterfeit sneakers to defendant Bazzi. Feng was observed loading sneakers into a van at warehouse locations and then delivering them to defendant Bazzi, said the U.S. attorney’s office.
The delay in sentencing comes as a result of criminal actions against other members of the wide-ranging conspiracy, which have resulted in the conviction of 22 other defendants by the Western New York U.S. District Court. In August 2013, another New York couple was sentenced to a year in prison each for participating in the same conspiracy (see 13082627). Those sentences came in well below the 37-46 month prison terms requested by the governments in that case, partly because of a request for leniency by a U.S. congresswoman.
Lawyers for both defendants in this case also requested leniency from the court, noting that over six years have passed without incident since their arrests and release on bail. Feng and Bin also each the parents of three children. But Assistant U.S. Attorney Rogowski asked the Court to impose a prison sentence, noting that “jail sentences were needed to send a message to those involved in trafficking counterfeit goods that they faced more than mere financial consequences for engaging in their crimes,” said the U.S. attorney’s office.
“This prosecution is part of the government’s aggressive enforcement of customs laws that protect the investment of manufactures, such as Nike, and also protect consumers who might unwittingly purchase inferior counterfeit goods,” said U.S. Attorney William Hochul. “During the course of the investigation, over 310,000 pairs of counterfeit Nike sneakers were seized by law enforcement officers. In addition, over $1,000,000 in cash from the sale of the counterfeit product was also seized.”