Houston-area man sentenced to almost 6 years in prison for counterfeiting luxury goods
HOUSTON — A Houston-area man was sentenced Monday to five years and 10 months in federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.
This sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas, and Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston. This investigation was conducted by HSI with the assistance of the Houston Police Department.
Han Woon Liew, 46, of Sugar Land, Texas, was sentenced to 70 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Lynn C. Hughes; to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay $2.6 million in restitution. Liew pleaded guilty to the charges Nov. 18, 2014.
“The partnership between HSI Houston special agents and officers of the HPD led to the downfall of one of the region’s largest distributors of counterfeit luxury goods,” said Moskowitz. “The significant prison sentence imposed by the court highlights the serious nature of intellectual property crimes and the large restitution figure reinforces the fact that these are not victimless crimes.”
Liew admitted that from January 2012 through April 2014, he intentionally trafficked in goods, specifically counterfeit Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Coach and Gucci purses and wallets. Liew knowingly used counterfeit marks, which were registered trademarks, in an attempt to make the items appear legitimate.
Liew was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Celia Moyer and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Evans, Southern District of Texas, prosecuted this case.
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