News Releases and Statements

Michael Erik Sanders, 40, of Jacksonville, was also ordered to pay Apple Corporation $73,950 and Otter Products (maker of Otterbox Phone Cases) $20,205.

Peter Picone, 42, of Methuen, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty on June 3, 2014, to conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit military goods. In addition to his prison term, Picone must pay $352,076 in restitution to the 31 companies whose circuitry he counterfeited, and to forfeit $70,050 and 12,960 counterfeit integrated circuits.

Leaders from law-enforcement agencies around the world attended the Interpol-led global meeting to discuss negative impacts of counterfeiting, emerging trends in IP theft and best practices to enforce trademark and copyright regulations.

Octavio Cesar Sana, a Spanish national with legal U.S. residency, admitted in a plea agreement that he sold at least $3.2 million worth of Chinese-made counterfeit cell phone parts through businesses he operated since 2007—including a website called “Flexqueen.com.”

Personnel from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection gathered this week to receive key training in the prevention of textile trade fraud that threatens the U.S. economy, restricts the competitiveness of U.S. industry and endangers the health and safety of the American public.

Rateb Said Najjar, 60, and his son, Eyad Rateb Najjar, 36, both of Westminster, pleaded guilty to one felony count of conspiracy to commit trademark counterfeiting; one felony count of trademark counterfeiting; one felony count of conspiracy to commit money laundering; one felony count of money laundering; and sentencing enhancements given the value of the goods involved.

Arizona resident, Melek Ackay Portillo, 52, who owns Angelica's Record Distributors, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul D. Stickney to two counts of copyright infringement, stipulating that she willfully reproduced or distributed numerous copyrighted sound recordings on CDs without authorization from the copyright holders.

IP theft is a problem that goes much deeper than buyers purchasing fake name-brand purses, shoes or football jerseys at a discount. This alone harms the U.S. economy and robs American workers of jobs. But profits from “knock-offs” also often support criminal organizations involved in weapons trafficking, drug smuggling and other illegal activities.

It’s estimated that American industries alone lose about $250 billion annually from these counterfeits. And that lost revenue also means lost American jobs, and lost local and federal taxes that weren’t paid on those goods.

The following four men were indicted July 9: Iain Nigel MacKellar, 58, of the United Kingdom; Lam Ngoc Tran, aka Mark Tran, 40, of Fountain Valley, California; Allen Smith, 49, of Phoenix; and William Humphreys, 58, of Laguna Hills, California.

Arunachalam Annamalai, 48, a resident of Las Vegas, waived his right to a grand jury and pleaded guilty to charges that he participated in the software piracy conspiracy. Annamalai is the owner and operator of Vegascart LLC.

The conference was hosted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Attaché Office in Mexico City, the HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) and Mexico’s Tax Administration Service (SAT).

The following individuals were charged in an eight-count indictment with importing and trafficking in counterfeit goods, smuggling, structuring and international money laundering: Andreina Becerra, 30, a Venezuelan national residing in Miami; Roberto Volpe, 33, an Italian national residing in Miami; Jianhua Li, 40, a Chinese national and resident of Guangzhou, China; Rosario La Marca, 52, an Italian national and resident of Italy.

Andreina Becerra, 30, a Venezuelan national, and Roberto Volpe, 33, an Italian national, both of Miami; Jianhua Li, 40, a Chinese national and resident of Guangzhou, China; and Rosario La Marca, 52, an Italian national and resident of Italy, were accused in an eight-count indictment of 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.

Stephen Voudouris, Sr., 59, from Newtown Square, Yung Chung, 31, from West Chester, and Jaimmy Chun, 30, from Philadelphia are charged with conspiracy, trafficking in counterfeit goods and wire fraud. Voudouris, Sr. is also charged with smuggling counterfeit goods into the United States.

Martez Alando Gurley, 40, from Napa, California, admitted at his pre-arraignment hearing June 29 that he purchased 15,000 to 18,000 counterfeit Viagra and counterfeit Cialis tablets from an individual in China he knew as “Alice,” as well as an additional 3,600 to 4,800 tablets from another individual within the U.S.

Representatives from U.S. and Chinese customs agencies strengthened relations Tuesday by signing an agreement to work together to combat violators of intellectual property rights law.

The enforcement initiative, dubbed Operation Team Player, resulted in the seizure of 4,376 items, including fake jerseys, hats, t-shirts, jackets and other souvenirs. The $181,215 value is based on the manufacturer’s suggested retail price of the counterfeit NHL merchandise.

Christopher Breejen, 43, who pleaded guilty in November 2014 to one count of criminal copyright infringement, admitted importing counterfeit DVDs and selling them on eBay.

Jeff Huang, 61, of Mount Prospect, Illinois, was arrested June 9 and charged with five counts of unauthorized use of a trademark, a class-one felony. He was placed on electronic monitoring during his bond hearing June 10 at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse.

The indictment resulted from a lengthy investigation titled “Operation Midnight Run” by ICE's HSI, the New Jersey State Police - Interstate Theft North Unit and the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice - Specialized Crimes Bureau.

Hui Jin Chen was arrested Sept. 2, 2014, in Toronto by officers from the Toronto Police Department’s Fugitive Task Force.

Because of the systemic danger posed by counterfeiting and piracy, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has estimated to cost the global economy in excess of $250 billion per year and up to 750,000 American jobs, the IPR Center seeks to engage directly with public and private acquisition professionals to break the steady growth of trade in counterfeit goods.

ABC News 20/20 will feature a high-profile case, May. 15 at 10 p.m. (EST), with which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) was heavily involved.

Qais Hussein, 44, and Majdi Odeh, 45, both of Swansea, Illinois, pleaded guilty May 11 to a four-count indictment charging that they, along with others, engaged in a conspiracy from January 2010 through July 2012 to unlawfully acquire Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Benefits (formerly known as food stamps), aiding and assisting in the preparation and presentation of false tax returns, and trafficking in counterfeit goods.