Merchandise Distributors, Brokers, Forwarders, Etc. Charged with Conspiracy to Smuggle Authentic/ Traffic Counterfeit Goods, Etc.
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a news release announcing that 29 defendants in New York, New Jersey and California have been charged with conspiracy to smuggle over 950 shipments, both counterfeit and authentic, following a 19 month investigation by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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According to DHS, the defendants include merchandise distributors, freight forwarders, customs brokers, owners and managers of CBP-bonded warehouses, and managers of a CBP exam site.
The alleged conspiracy principally involves merchandise from China coming through the following ports of entry: Newark, NJ; Houston, TX; Long Beach, CA; New York Container Terminal in Staten Island, NY; and John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Three Complaints, Various Schemes Including Paying Undercover ICE Agents
According to DHS, there are three separate complaints:
First complaint. The first complaint, U.S. v. Kwok Keung Wong, et al., charges 18 defendants in two schemes to smuggle over 900 shipments of merchandise, both counterfeit and authentic, through John F. Kennedy Airport and ports of entry at Newark, NJ; New York Container Terminal in Staten Island, NY; and Long Beach, CA. Among other things, it is alleged that certain defendants involved in the schemes provided fraudulent shipping documents to obtain entry of merchandise and filed false information in order to obtain Permits to Transfer (PTTs).
The defendants also allegedly used the names and federal identification numbers of fictitious and/or legitimate, unknowing importers.
DHS specifically names the following people as being involved with this complaint:
| Kwok Keung Wong, Yim Chi Wong, and Schlomo Greenberg | (operate freight forwarding companies) |
| Ronald Depaola and Joseph Depaola | (trucking company operators) |
| John Sciara | (customs broker) |
| Christine Dejohn | (freight forwarding company manager) |
| Robert Rossomango | (CBP-bonded warehouse manager) |
| Yakoub Saadia | (importer) |
| Henry Mandil | (customs broker) |
| Phillip McEntee and Joseph Venetucci | (container freight station owners) |
| John Hsu | (CBP-bonded warehouse manager) |
| Judy Frisco and James Ball | (former managers at a CBP exam site) |
| Monique Rolon | (trucking company owner) |
| Ramnarine Tiwari | (former employee of the customs house brokerage Mandil works for) |
| Faraj Sadaka | (employee of Saadia) |
The complaint also charges Keung Wong, Chi Wong and Saadia with money laundering by wiring over $6 million from the U.S. to Hong Kong and China to promote the smuggling schemes.
Second Complaint. The second complaint, U.S. v. Longyi Wong, et al., charges nine defendants with two schemes to smuggle counterfeit merchandise through U.S. ports of entry at Newark, NJ; Houston, TX; and Long Beach, CA. Among other things, DHS alleges that the defendants paid ICE agents, who were acting in undercover capacities, to file paperwork falsely indicating that the containers were merely passing through the U.S. and destined for Mexico.
DHS specifically names the following people as being involved with this complaint:
| Longyi Wang, Amine Mohsen, Ayman Mohsen, and Min Hua Yao Chen | (merchandise distributors) |
| Andy Chi Wei Yau, Zai Yong Li | - - - - - |
|---|---|
| Jian Chao Li | (owner of handbag store, son of Zai Yong Li) |
| Mohamad Bzeih, Wuael Najmeddin | (trafficking counterfeit goods) |
Third Complaint. A third complaint, U.S. v. Danny Chan and Meng Zhang, charges the defendants with conspiring to import counterfeit goods, including Coach handbags, into the U.S. and to traffic in those goods.
| Danny Chan | (employee of Wen-Parker Corporation) |
| Meng Zhang | (president of CTS Logistics) |
List of Trademark Holders of Seized Counterfeit Goods
ICE has posted to its Web a list of the trademark holders of counterfeit goods that were seized in this investigation, which include, Cartier, Coach, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Motorola, Nike, Nokia, Rolex, Samsung, Sony, Timberland, etc. (See ICE's list for all trademark holders.)
DHS News Release (dated 06/26/07) available at http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/newsreleases/articles/070626brooklyn.htm
DHS List of Seized Goods (dated 06/22/07) available at http://www.ice.gov/doclib/pi/news/factsheets/06-26-07FACT_SHEET_TM_holders_KDL.pdf
DHS In-Bond Merchandise Diversion Smuggling Fact Sheet (dated 06/26/07) available at http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/factsheets/in_bond_factsheet.htm
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) Investigation Fact Sheet (dated 06/25/07) available at http://www.ice.gov/pi/news/factsheets/iproverview.htm
The U.S. Attorney's Eastern District of New York press release regarding this case (dated 06/26/07) available at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/nye/pr/2007/2007jun26.html