Nassau County Officials Discover Massive Counterfeiting Warehouse After Owner Forgets To Pay Rent
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Police have seized a load of designer knock-offs in what they say is one of the largest counterfeiting warehouses in the country.
Designer knock-offs produced by the millions were discovered in the Westbury location, CBS2's Carolyn Gusoff reported.
Inside the unmarked warehouse, sheriff deputies who were serving an eviction notice happened upon something much bigger.
"The largest counterfeit manufacturing busts I think in the nation," Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said.
Three thousand boxes were stuffed with hoodies, boots, and puffy coats that were shipped from abroad but counterfeited in the warehouse with phony brand logos and labels. Among the fake labels were Northface, UGG, Under Armour, True Religion, and Polo.
"This was an elaborate operation and the warehouse has expensive embroidery machines capable of producing thousands and thousands of counterfeit merchandise," Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said.
Authorities arrested 42-year-old Guoshen Hu of Bayside. Police said he had a staff of women brought in to sew and even attach department store tags and bar codes.
The operation was tucked into an industrial park where neighbors say they suspected nothing. Items were sold everywhere from the internet to flea markets.
Nassau police also arrested two vendors with knock-off handbags, watches, and wallets at the Westbury flea market Saturday.
"They are supporting a criminal enterprise. If you knowingly go down to Canal Street and buy a Rolex watch for watch for $150, you are supporting a criminal enterprise," Nassau County Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said. "At the back end of this there is child labor, human trafficking."
Not to mention cheating artists and legitimate retailers, too. One expert said if you are unsure if something is authentic, you can smell to see if its leather or plastic and check the workmanship.
"It's frayed, it's crooked, those are the details you should be looking at," expert James Ricuarte said.
The whole operation was shut down as a result of the owner not paying his rent.
The items will be checked for safety then donated to charity. The defendant plead not guilty at arraignment and is back in court Tuesday.
