News Releases and Statements

HSI special agents arrested and charged Brett Strothers, 32, of Egg Harbor Township, and his brother, Evan Strothers, 28, of Mays Landing, with conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in coordination with Alabama state police and the Elmore County Sheriff's Department seized approximately 60,000 counterfeit items from an Alabama flea market Saturday worth a total manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $2.04 million.

HSI special agents and partner law enforcement officers targeted 23 retailers of counterfeit and pirated goods at the Arecibo flea market.

Shem Michahdavid Weissman, aka Brody Gold, 24, pleaded guilty in February to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.

GuildMaster, Inc., of Springfield, Mo., pleaded guilty to the felony offense of trafficking in goods with counterfeit marks. Thousands of lamps imported by GuildMaster from China bore counterfeit Underwriters Laboratories (UL) labels.

ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and several law enforcement agencies in Europe, coordinated by the European Police Office (Europol), announced the seizure of 328 domain names in two related operations Wednesday. The seized domain names were associated with websites illegally selling counterfeit merchandise online.

Richard McNeal of Randallstown, Md., pleaded guilty in federal court Thursday to felony charges of trafficking in counterfeit goods. He sold thousands of dollars worth of fraudulent tickets to Super Bowl XVII in February 2013 and the Allstate BCS National Championship in January 2012.

"Ryan Breen pleaded guilty Wednesday to trafficking in counterfeit goods involving the sale of unauthorized merchandise from the popular FX Network television series ""Sons of Anarchy."" The plea follows an investigation by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). "

With the NBA Finals and Stanley Cup Playoffs in full swing, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warned the public Tuesday to beware of purchasing counterfeit sports apparel and tickets to playoff games.

Xiang Li, a Chinese national, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison June 11 for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and criminal copyright infringement. Li operated a website used to distribute more than $100 million worth of pirated software around the world.

Naveed Sheikh was sentenced to 87 months in prison for conspiring to and infringing copyrights by illegally reproducing and distributing more than 1,000 copyrighted commercial software programs with a total value of more than $4 million.

While U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is not yet a household name, there are more and more instances of ICE onscreen.

ICE's HSI seized an additional $500,000 worth of counterfeit goods Friday from a shipment destined for a Baton Rouge store where HSI seized $1 million of counterfeit goods the day before.

HSI seized 3,082 counterfeit items worth more than $1 million from a Baton Rouge business Thursday. The seized items included counterfeit designer clothing and electronics.

Hundreds of items of counterfeit San Francisco Giants clothing seized by the Department of Homeland Security during last year's World Series are being donated to World Vision International, a non-profit organization that provides aid to the needy around the globe.

Anyone who visits a website seized by the government for counterfeiting violations will now be met with a public service announcement (PSA) that educates them about the impact that such crime has on global economics and its links to organized crime.

The National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center), the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and the National Association of Theatre Owners announced the planned release of a new trailer Friday aimed at educating the public about the laws against movie piracy.

World IP Day was started by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and is celebrated April 26 every year in order to promote discussion of the role of intellectual property in encouraging innovation and creativity.

Two men from China, who were found with more than 14,000 fake luxury items, both pleaded guilty to producing counterfeit goods, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

The Orange County District Attorney's Office has filed felony charges against three local vendors identified during Operation Fashion Faux Pas, a crackdown by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on Orange County retailers suspected of dealing in counterfeit designer goods.

In addition to his prison term, Ferrer was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution.

During the operation, HSI special agents and partner law enforcement officers targeted five retailers of counterfeit and pirated goods.

Seven local residents pleaded guilty Thursday to intellectual property rights violations, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson, Southern District of Texas.

Nathan Welter made his initial appearance in federal court Friday afternoon following his indictment for allegedly using Craigslist to sell a variety of counterfeit sexual dysfunction medications, which he claimed to buyers were genuine.