Smuggling ring trafficked over $130M in counterfeit shoes, headphones to U.S.: Feds
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NEW YORK - Four members of an international smuggling ring were indicted in federal court Thursday for allegedly trafficking over $130M in counterfeit goods to the U.S. from China.
"As alleged, the defendants trafficked in counterfeit merchandise that they fraudulently branded as genuine to pass off to purchasers in the United States at a purported retail value of more than $130 million," stated Acting United States Attorney Jacquelyn Kasulis.
According to authorities, the suspects would import generic goods into the country via the Port of New York and New Jersey. The goods would then be delivered to workshops and storage facilities controlled by some of the suspects in Queens and on Long Island.
Inside those workshops, insignias, emblems, trademarks, and other brand signifiers were applies to the generic goods in order to make them appear to be brand-name merchandise. The goods would then be sold to consumers and wholesale buyers.
The estimated retail value of the counterfeit-branded goods, had they been genuine, was over $130M.
The suspects, Hai Long Zhou (also known as "Zangkun Zhou"), 53, Yan Xue Huang (also known as "Yan Xue Zhou" and "Yan Xue Li Ming"), 50, and Jian Fen Yang, of Queens, along with Saiyin Hou, 25, of Brooklyn, are all facing charges including conspiracy to traffic, trafficking in counterfeit goods and money laundering. All four were released on $200,000 bond.
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