Belal Amin Alsaidi, Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods, Virginia 2012

State: Virginia
Category: White Collar Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/virginia-store-owner-pleads-guilty-trafficking-counterfeit-goods" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

Buffalo, New York resident Belal Amin Alsaidi, 30, has pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit goods in Virginia.

Alsaidi pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Hannah Lauck in Richmond, Virginia, on February 23, 2012.

Alsaidi admitted to selling shoes and apparel that he knew were counterfeit at his two stores in Petersburg, Virginia, from May 2007 until March 2009. He also admitted to purchasing these counterfeit goods from an individual in New York.

According to court documents, Alsaidi received more than 1,400 packages of counterfeit merchandise at his stores from New York over a 23-month period. The merchandise bore fake trademarks for companies such as Nike, NFL, Lacoste, True Religion, and Coogi.

Alsaidi faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine at sentencing.

This case is an example of the type of efforts being undertaken by the Department of Justice Task Force on Intellectual Property (IP Task Force) to combat the growing number of domestic and international intellectual property crimes, protect the health and safety of American consumers, and safeguard the nation’s economic security.

The IP Task Force seeks to strengthen intellectual property rights protection through heightened criminal and civil enforcement, greater coordination among federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, and increased focus on international enforcement efforts, including reinforcing relationships with key foreign partners and U.S. industry leaders.

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