For nearly a month in early 2014, the Hip Hop Center on Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls operated as a hub for knockoff luxury merchandise, peddling fake UGGs, Michael Kors bags, and counterfeit NFL gear. At the center of it: Mohsen Kassem Abdulrab, 58, who was convicted of trafficking in counterfeit goods and this week slapped with two years of supervised release and a $2,000 fine.
The sentence, handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr., marks the end of a years-long fallout from a brazen operation at 2417 Pine Avenue. Between January 6 and February 13, 2014, Abdulrab sold or attempted to sell unauthorized copies of major brand trademarks, including The North Face, Polo Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Timberland, and logos tied to Major League Baseball and the National Football League.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Cantil, who prosecuted the case, detailed how the counterfeit items—valued at over $40,000 as genuine—flooded the storefront, duping customers and undercutting legitimate businesses. The goods weren’t low-profile knockoffs; they were precise imitations of high-margin brands, sold under the radar in a city better known for tourists than underground counterfeit rings.
The bust came after a focused probe by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin Kelly. Agents moved in after surveillance and physical evidence confirmed that the Hip Hop Center wasn’t just a music and apparel shop—it was a retail front for intellectual property theft on a commercial scale.
Abdulrab’s two-year supervised release means he’ll face strict federal oversight, mandatory check-ins, and zero tolerance for further violations. While he avoided prison time, the conviction leaves a permanent stain on his record and serves as a warning to others skirting the line in the counterfeit trade.
This case underscores the federal government’s ongoing crackdown on counterfeit networks, even those operating out of modest storefronts. For U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr., the outcome proves that selling fake luxury goods isn’t a victimless hustle—it’s fraud, it’s theft, and in Niagara Falls, it’s now a prosecuted crime.
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Key Facts
- State: New York
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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