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NEW YORK — A husband and wife face felony charges of trademark counterfeiting after a raid of a Farmingdale, N.Y., warehouse on Long Island owned by the couple turned up apparel and accessories fakes with an estimated street value of more than $2 million.
Rakesh and Poonam Kumar were arrested Thursday after raids by the New York State Police and Suffolk County Police at the warehouse at 195 Central Avenue in Farmingdale, and their residence in Roslyn, N.Y. Police and private investigators executing search warrants at the warehouse turned up fakes bearing the labels of Nike, Chanel, Coach, Prada, Gucci, Burberry, Dior, Ed Hardy, True Religion, Lacoste, The North Face, Baby Phat, Bathing Ape, Polo and Tiffany, among others. Financial records and $150,000 in cash were seized from the Kumar residence, as well.
The Kumars were arraigned Friday on felony charges of trademark counterfeiting, as well as a misdemeanor of criminal simulation.
Thomas Spota, Suffolk County district attorney, said the Kumars' company, Globe Enterprises, is believed to have supplied counterfeits to wholesalers across the country.
"The investigation determined that there are at least seven corporations controlled by Kumar and his wife, and 40 other companies that were selling counterfeit merchandise to the couple," Spota said.
He added that seized financial records showed that the Kumars' businesses made more than 200 payments totaling $1.5 million to other wholesale counterfeit distributors between January 2007 and February 2008.
Rakesh and Poonam Kumar were arrested Thursday after raids by the New York State Police and Suffolk County Police at the warehouse at 195 Central Avenue in Farmingdale, and their residence in Roslyn, N.Y. Police and private investigators executing search warrants at the warehouse turned up fakes bearing the labels of Nike, Chanel, Coach, Prada, Gucci, Burberry, Dior, Ed Hardy, True Religion, Lacoste, The North Face, Baby Phat, Bathing Ape, Polo and Tiffany, among others. Financial records and $150,000 in cash were seized from the Kumar residence, as well.
The Kumars were arraigned Friday on felony charges of trademark counterfeiting, as well as a misdemeanor of criminal simulation.
Thomas Spota, Suffolk County district attorney, said the Kumars' company, Globe Enterprises, is believed to have supplied counterfeits to wholesalers across the country.
"The investigation determined that there are at least seven corporations controlled by Kumar and his wife, and 40 other companies that were selling counterfeit merchandise to the couple," Spota said.
He added that seized financial records showed that the Kumars' businesses made more than 200 payments totaling $1.5 million to other wholesale counterfeit distributors between January 2007 and February 2008.
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