As a result of several citizen complaints regarding counterfeit sports clothing and other various types of counterfeit apparel being sold at the Farmers Market in Charlotte Hall, detectives from the Bureau of Criminal Investigations with assistance from deputies from the Patrol, Special Operations Divisions and investigators from the sports and clothing industries conducted a raid on businesses at that location.
Investigators seized $88,413 worth of merchandise where the trademark was determined to be counterfeit. These items included counterfeit articles with logo’s from the National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, designer purses such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, Ed Hardy and Gucci.
Seven (7) persons were identified as suspects and charges of Trademark Counterfeiting may be filed against each person following a review of the case with the States Attorney’s Office. Each case is a Felony and carries a maximum penalty of $10,000 or 15 years in jail.
When asked about the raid, Capt. Terry Black, Commander, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, stated, “When the Sheriff’s Office receives a complaint of illegal activity from citizens we investigate the complaint and take the appropriate enforcement action. Trademark counterfeiting hurts legitimate businesses who conduct business within established laws and pursuant to the professional organizations guidelines regarding the sale and display of their merchandise. During the operation at Farmers Market we also found several businesses who were legitimate and were conducting business within the confines of the law regarding Trademarks of various large corporations. Those business owners were very appreciative of our efforts.”
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