News Releases and Statements

The results from Operation Team Player, an ongoing effort developed by the HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) to crackdown on the illegal importation of counterfeit sports apparel and merchandise, were revealed at a press conference hosted by the NFL with participation from ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Bay-area law-enforcement agencies.

Junaid Qadir, 33, of Karachi, Pakistan, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Denver Aug. 22, 2012. A superseding indictment was obtained June 25, 2015. He was arrested last spring after he traveled from Pakistan to Germany, which has U.S. extradition laws.

“Make no mistake about it, there are always challenges but our special agents are up to the challenge and will excel to help safeguard our country,” said Opiola.

Haryash Paul, 64, of Hicksville, New York, who operates Manhattan-based Glamour Line Inc. and is associated with a Jericho-based business known as TRB Designs and Resources Inc, is accused of smuggling counterfeit North Face merchandise with a value in excess of $2 million.

“This effort highlights the global commitment to take aggressive action against online piracy,” said IPR Center Director Bruce Foucart. “The IPR Center will continue to collaborate with international law enforcement and industry to protect consumers from purchasing counterfeit goods online, which could expose sensitive financial information and present a health and safety threat.”

Counterfeit electronics that overheat due to improper manufacture, fake bicycle helmets that break upon impact and phony cosmetics that lead to skin ailments are just a few examples of knock-off items sold online that present a serious health and safety risk. Seasonal items like holiday lights can also be counterfeit, poorly wired and ignite fires.

In addition to the seminars, ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Executive Associate Director (EAD) Peter T. Edge and IACP President Richard Beary, who also serves as the University of Central Florida Police Department chief of police, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish the “Visiting Law Enforcement Fellow Program.”

Le Fu Chen, aka Tom Chen, aka Danny Chen, 40 and Hai Fan Huang, aka Cindy Haung, 36, of Roslyn Heights, New York are each charged with one count of conspiring to traffic counterfeit goods, and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. The married couple allegedly intended to distribute and sell the counterfeit products to retailers in Manhattan and elsewhere.

The operation, which is coordinated through the HSI-led National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), has resulted in the seizure of over 20,000 pairs of counterfeit and decorative contact lenses.

The conference brought together brand protection leaders from industry, academia and law enforcement to discuss ground-breaking research from world-renowned scholars, field-driven insight from globally-recognized organizations in both the private and public sector and current and emerging challenges and strategies in the area of intellectual property rights.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan announced year-end statistics for fiscal year (FY) 2015 Thursday showing record increases in criminal arrests as well as narcotics, illegal arms and money seizures.

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.

Secretary May toured C3 and met with HSI Deputy Executive Associate Director Derek Benner, who said, “It was an honor and pleasure to meet with Secretary May. ICE welcomes dignitaries and visitors who share our interest in protecting not only our own people, but all victims or potential victims of predators and thieves who do their dirty work from cyberspace.

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.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Monday announced the appointment of a longtime special agent previously based in Georgia to head the agency's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco office.

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.

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.

Nick S. Annan, who formerly served as the deputy special agent in charge in San Diego., takes over as the new special agent in charge (SAC) of the HSI office in Atlanta. Annan, who supervised more than 250 law enforcement personnel in San Diego, has also held several leadership positions within the agency, including chief of staff for HSI in Washington, D.C., and the deputy attaché in Rome, Italy.

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).

ICE's top 5 news stories for the week ending July 3, 2015

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.

The World Customs Organization-led (WCO) operation, dubbed FLYAWAY, teamed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

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.

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.