News Releases and Statements
News Releases and Statements
Through a review of operational case studies, best practices and industry perspectives, the 11th annual International Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference also aims to shape effective enforcement strategies.
The center will focus on identifying intellectual property rights violations, public health and safety threats, and compliance with import and export laws. It will work with a variety of federal agencies including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Transportation to enforce these laws. The Virginia TECC is the 12th in the country.
Rosario La Marca, 54, a resident of Naples, Italy, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty to count one of an indictment charging him with conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, to smuggle goods into the United States, and to structure financial transactions, and count two, charging him with trafficking in counterfeit goods.
The criminal complaint alleges that Carolina Aguilar Rodriguez, 47, aka “Doctora” sold the counterfeit Diprospan to undercover federal agents on at least five occasions. According to the charges, Rodriguez was not licensed to dispense prescription medications in Texas, and Naturavida was not licensed as a Texas pharmacy.
Michael Chihwen Wang, 49, of Buena Park, California, was the vice president of CYU Lithographics Inc., doing business as Choice Lithographics in Buena Park. Between July 2015 and December 2016, Wang directed the manufacture of counterfeit trademarked Frontline, Frontline Plus and Merial veterinary product labels and shipped them to Houston.
Dina Gonzalez-Marquez, 23, and Emilio Gonzalez-Marquez, 21, were arrested Wednesday for allegedly operating a counterfeit airbag business out of their Albuquerque residence.
Paul S. Rodriguez Jr., 48, was the CEO of Action Packing and Design Inc. in Santa Ana, California. Between July 2015 and December 2016, Rodriguez intentionally trafficked in counterfeit labels and packaging by manufacturing, then shipping to Houston, counterfeit and trademarked Frontline, Frontline Plus and Merial veterinary product labels and packaging.
Marc Merwin Snyder, 64, formerly of Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy, three counts of smuggling of misbranded drugs, one count of receipt and delivery of misbranded drugs, four counts of misbranding by dispensing prescription drugs without a valid prescription, four counts of introducing misbranded drugs into interstate commerce.
In the past, seized cosmetics have been found to contain hazardous substances including cyanide, arsenic, mercury, lead, urine and rat droppings. Fake condoms will not guard the user against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy.
Joseph Jinn, also known as Tzong Hwan Jinn, 60, of Diamond Bar, admitted in a plea agreement filed in federal court that he imported Tadalafil, Sildenafil, and Dapoxetine – the active ingredients in pharmaceutical medications such as Viagra and Cialis – by falsely claiming to customs officials that the multi-kilogram shipments were “cooked powder and tools,” “Chinese bread baking mixture,” and other innocuous materials.
Andreina Becerra, 31, a Venezuelan national, Roberto Volpe, 34, an Italian national, and Rosario La Marca, 54, an Italian national and resident of Naples, Italy, were originally charged in an eight-count indictment returned in April 2015 with importing and trafficking fake iPhones, iPads and iPods bearing counterfeit Apple trademarks, and fake camcorders bearing counterfeit Sony trademarks, as well as smuggling, structuring and international money laundering.
Allen Smith, 50, of Phoenix, Arizona, was sentenced Feb. 6 by U.S. District Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas. In addition to his prison term, Smith was ordered to pay $867,150 in restitution and to forfeit $42,269 worth of illicit proceeds.
David Brian Henrichsen, 51, a former police officer in Colorado Springs, Colorado, pleaded guilty to one count of computer crime to commit theft, and was fined $7,500 by Adams County District Judge Ted Tow for his role in the criminal enterprise.
Sherrie Householder, 59, of Nixa, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to two years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Householder to pay $8,866,069 in restitution. Wang “Frank” Luo, a Chinese citizen, owned Flash Tech, while Householder managed the company’s activities in the United States.
The timber was seized Dec. 20, 2015 by HSI at the Port of Houston, Texas for violation of the Lacey Act and customs law. It was destroyed in accordance with a settlement agreement reached by the United States and the importer of the timber, Oregon-based Popp Forest Products Inc.
The operation, named “Surge Protector”, will focus on electronics vulnerable to counterfeiting, including phony digital media devices, power adapters and consumer technology powered by lithium ion batteries.
Sean Gerson, 48, the owner of a business called Vaccination Services in Lake Forest, was taken into custody by special agents with ICE HSI, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, and the EPA. Gerson is scheduled to make his initial appearance Tuesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
The Joint Strategic Plan (JSP) for Intellectual Property Enforcement, titled “Supporting Innovation, Creativity & Enterprise: Charting a Path Ahead”, identifies overarching goals, mandated objectives and collaborative initiatives to be implemented by the ICE-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) over the next three years.
Martez Alando Gurley, 41, and Victor Lamar Coates, 47, admitted that they each trafficked more than 10,000 counterfeit tablets. On Dec. 6, U.S. District Judge David Hittner sentenced Gurley to 75 months in federal prison and ordered him to pay $410,508 in restitution to Pfizer Inc. and Eli Lilly and Company — the licensed patent trademark holders of Viagra and Cialis.
There were roughly 15,000 illegal websites seized and 48,000 erroneous ecommerce links removed over the past year as part of Operation In Our Sites VII, an effort conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Europol, Interpol and members of industry to crackdown on individuals using the Internet to peddle bogus goods and other copyright-protected material that threaten the health and safety of shoppers.
In 2015, the number of seizures made nationally due to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) violations increased 25 percent from the previous year, totaling more than 28,000 seizures with an estimated value of more than $1.3 billion.
Marc Misko, 62, pleaded guilty in Adams County to solicitation to commit money laundering and was fined $7,500. Mitchell Misko, 62, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit theft and was fined $5,000.
During a search of the woman’s residence, HSI special agents recovered counterfeit lipsticks, hair styling products, eyelash adhesive, powder compacts, eye shadow, eye liner, as well as electronic curlers and straighteners.