LATEST NEWS: Sellers of Counterfeit Disney pins
MODS: If this type of posting is not allowed, please accept my apologies & delete, I just thought that our trading community should be aware of the latest info. on this case. THANKS!
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CO-DEFENDANT PREVIOUSLY SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR IN JAIL AND THREE YEARS FORMAL PROBATION
SANTA ANA -- A Walnut man entered a guilty plea March 6, 2013, for illegally importing counterfeit collectible Disney pins from China and selling them over the Internet auction site eBay. Eric Blackford, also known as Larry James Allred, 54, pleaded guilty in court to one felony count of trademark infringement with sentencing enhancements for property loss over $200,000 and admitted a 1975 prior strike conviction for rape and a 1978 prior strike conviction for kidnapping and rape. He is expected to be sentenced to eight years in state prison and ordered to pay $201,000 restitution at his sentencing July 15, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-49, Central Justice Center.
Co-defendant Robert Edward Smyrak, 54, of Anaheim, pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2011, to one felony count of trademark infringement. He received a lesser sentenced of one year in jail, three years of formal probation, and ordered to pay restitution.
Both Smyrak and Blackford were previously involved with buying and selling Edsel automobiles and parts.
Between January 2010 and April 2011, Smyrak worked with Blackford in the fraudulent scheme by sending legitimate collectible Disney pins to a manufacturer in China to be replicated and shipped back to them. They then sold the counterfeit pins on eBay while passing them off as genuine.
The pair sold nearly one million counterfeit items on eBay in bulk quantities, averaging less than $1 per pin. The retail price of genuine Disney collectible pins range from $6.95 to $14.95.
The fraudulent operation was discovered in February, 2011 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and import specialists intercepted a parcel at Los Angeles International Airport addressed to Smyrak containing more than 150 pounds of counterfeit Disney pins.
Smyrak and Blackford were arrested April 14, 2011, by the Anaheim Police Department. At the time of their arrest, both were in possession of more than 91,000 counterfeit pins.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the Anaheim Police Department.
Deputy District Attorney Chuck Lawhorn of the White Collar Crime Team is prosecuting this case.
Orange County District Attorney
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Case # 11NF1191
Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701
714-347-8408
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CO-DEFENDANT PREVIOUSLY SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR IN JAIL AND THREE YEARS FORMAL PROBATION
SANTA ANA -- A Walnut man entered a guilty plea March 6, 2013, for illegally importing counterfeit collectible Disney pins from China and selling them over the Internet auction site eBay. Eric Blackford, also known as Larry James Allred, 54, pleaded guilty in court to one felony count of trademark infringement with sentencing enhancements for property loss over $200,000 and admitted a 1975 prior strike conviction for rape and a 1978 prior strike conviction for kidnapping and rape. He is expected to be sentenced to eight years in state prison and ordered to pay $201,000 restitution at his sentencing July 15, 2013, at 8:30 a.m. in Department C-49, Central Justice Center.
Co-defendant Robert Edward Smyrak, 54, of Anaheim, pleaded guilty Sept. 29, 2011, to one felony count of trademark infringement. He received a lesser sentenced of one year in jail, three years of formal probation, and ordered to pay restitution.
Both Smyrak and Blackford were previously involved with buying and selling Edsel automobiles and parts.
Between January 2010 and April 2011, Smyrak worked with Blackford in the fraudulent scheme by sending legitimate collectible Disney pins to a manufacturer in China to be replicated and shipped back to them. They then sold the counterfeit pins on eBay while passing them off as genuine.
The pair sold nearly one million counterfeit items on eBay in bulk quantities, averaging less than $1 per pin. The retail price of genuine Disney collectible pins range from $6.95 to $14.95.
The fraudulent operation was discovered in February, 2011 when U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers and import specialists intercepted a parcel at Los Angeles International Airport addressed to Smyrak containing more than 150 pounds of counterfeit Disney pins.
Smyrak and Blackford were arrested April 14, 2011, by the Anaheim Police Department. At the time of their arrest, both were in possession of more than 91,000 counterfeit pins.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations and the Anaheim Police Department.
Deputy District Attorney Chuck Lawhorn of the White Collar Crime Team is prosecuting this case.
Orange County District Attorney
Press Release
For Immediate Release
Case # 11NF1191
Tony Rackauckas, District Attorney
401 Civic Center Drive West
Santa Ana, CA 92701
714-347-8408