Two vendors at a New Jersey street fair were recently arrested for allegedly selling counterfeit handbags. According to a report in The Lawrenceville Patch, the incident occurred at the Annual Lawrenceville Main Street Jubilee in Lawrenceville. Officials arrested a 44-year-old woman and a 43-year-old man for the possession and sale of over 200 bags and other items that had fake designer marks. The brands involved included Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Coach, and Burberry.
It is a serious crime to sell counterfeit merchandise. Under N.J.S.A. 2C:21-32: “A person commits the offense of counterfeiting who, with the intent to deceive or defraud some other person, knowingly manufactures, uses, displays, advertises, distributes, offers for sale, sells, or possesses with intent to sell or distribute within, or in conjunction with commercial activities within New Jersey, any item, or services, bearing, or identified by, a counterfeit mark.”
This serious offense is a third-degree crime if it involves between 100 and 1,000 items bearing a counterfeit mark and a fourth-degree crime if the offense involves fewer than 100 counterfeit items. These types of crimes can result in lengthy jail time and thousands of dollars worth of fines. Anyone facing these types of life-changing penalties would be well advised to discuss their case with an experienced criminal defense attorney.
The criminal defense lawyers at Lependorf & Silverstein have successfully handled fraud and counterfeit merchandise charges in New Jersey. We know when to fight the charges and how to negotiate for lesser penalties.