Crime & Safety

DA: International Counterfeiting Scheme Squashed

A New Jersey man was arrested in Hauppauge last week as part of a reported international racketeering operation that brought counterfeit goods to street markets.

A New Jersey man was arrested in Hauppauge on March 14 after authorities said he, along with a small group of others, violated the state's anti-racketeering laws by selling millions of dollars worth of counterfeit goods out of a Queens warehouse and laundering the proceeds through real estate and jewelry purchases.

A search warrant was executed on March 14 at a Maspeth warehouse yielded 1,400 boxes of counterfeit items – including handbags, sunglasses, boots, jackets and more – said to have a street value of over $10 million.

According to a spokesman for District Attorney Thomas Spota, knockoff goods showing names such as Coach, Kate Spade, Oakley and more were manufactured in China, stored in Queens and later distributed to street vendors as far away as California. Proceeds were the reportedly funnelled through a corporation known as Goodies Enterprises.

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“Records recovered during the investigation show that millions of dollars in profits were going back to banks in China, and investments in real estate in New York City, Florida, and California," Spota said.

After an investigation started in Suffolk County, the Department of Homeland Security aided in investigating the incident due to reported customs violations.

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“This organization allegedly operated an extensive importation and distribution network to produce and label counterfeit handbags,” said James T. Hayes Jr., special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York. “HSI and its law enforcement partners work together to dismantle criminal organizations set on circumventing our customs laws to infringe on the intellectual property rights of individuals and corporations alike.”

Five defendants – four of them Little Neck residents – are charged in relation to running Goodies Enterprises.

Anthony Moresco, 63, of East Rutherford, was arrested in Hauppauge. He and Chee Ching Yim, 44, both stand charged with enterprise corruption, trademark counterfeiting in the first and second degree and conspiracy in the fourth degree, all felonies.

Chee Kwan Yim, 42, is charged with enterprise corruption, trademark counterfeiting in the first and second degree, fourth-degree money laundering, and conspiracy in the fourth degree, all felonies.

Chee Kuen Yim, 39, is charged with enterprise corruption, trademark counterfeiting in the second degree, fourth-degree money laundering, and conspiracy in the fourth degree, all felonies.

Regina Ngan is charged with trademark counterfeiting in the second degree, a felony, and fifth-degree conspiracy, a misdemeanor.

Ngan was released on $5,000 cash bail, while the four others remain in custody with future court dates.


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