Homeland Security agents in Rhode Island were alerted by Customs and Border Protection authorities in Anchorage, Alaska, about a package from China addressed to Cipriano, according to U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha. The shipment was identified as “man coats,” but a check revealed that sports jerseys affixed with nike nfl and Nike logos. The agents then conducted a controlled delivery to Cipriano’s home with the assistance of Boston agents and Warwick police.
At the time, Cipriano was under surveillance by Homeland Security agents in Boston because of his activities at a flea market in Raynham, Mass., Neronha’s office said.
A grand jury indicted Cipriano, a convicted felon whose criminal history dates to the 1990s, on a single count of trafficking and attempting to traffic counterfeit products. He pleaded guilty to the crime in August.
The items Cipriano is accused of trafficking include knock-off nfl jerseys uk, Major League Baseball, NBA, and NHL jerseys, North Face apparel, UGG slippers, Marlboro cigarettes, and colognes by Abercrombie, Calvin Klein, Carolina Herrera, Kenneth Cole, Chloe, Gwen Stefani, Marc Jacobs and Vera Wang. Prosecutors said the items were virtually indistinguishable from trademark products.
“Trafficking in other counterfeit goods, such as apparel and other consumer products, may seem more innocuous, but nevertheless demands the same aggressive attention from law enforcement. Such criminal misconduct causes irreparable economic harm to the companies that make the real article, including such companies’ ability to maintain and create jobs for every-day Americans,” Neronha said in a statement.