Northeast Queens Woman Convicted of Trademark Counterfeiting

A 48-year-old Bellerose woman has been convicted of selling counterfeit handbags and sneakers bearing the logos of a number of popular, and often expensive, brand names in northeast Queens, the Queens district attorney said.

Ai Zhang, of 82-05 County Pointe Circle in Bellerose, was convicted yesterday before Queens Supreme Court Justice James Griffin on five charges of trademark counterfeiting following a two-week jury trial, Queens DA Richard Brown said.

The defendant, who will return to court on Dec. 20 for sentencing, faces up to 15 years in prison, the DA said.

"Trademark counterfeiting is neither a victimless nor harmless crime – something the jury in this case obviously understood when they returned a verdict of guilty," Brown said. "Operations such as that run by the defendant fuel an underground economy. They are cash businesses that pay no taxes and rip off both the consumer and the industry by foisting inferior products into the marketplace. Such unauthorized products, which often come from offshore, steal jobs from American workers and revenue from American manufacturers."

Zhang sold fake Coach, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and Nike products from a store located at 161-11 Jamaica Ave., the DA said. The total street value of items recovered by police is estimated at more than $175,000, he said.

An undercover officer entered Zhang's store in February and May 2006 to ask the defendant how much she was charging for the products.

She told the officer she was selling Gucci sneakers for $20, Louis Vuitton handbags for $18 and Nike sneakers for $21, the DA said. All of the items were counterfeit.

At that time, the officer placed an order for $2,356 worth of merchandise and was told to follow the defendant to a spot on 230th Street in Oakland Gardens. The defendant told the undercover officer that she would show up at the spot with the items, the DA said.

Zhang drove to her residence, loaded boxes into her vehicle and then delivered the items to the officer, who later purchased a total of nearly $5,000 from the defendant on two separate occasions, Brown said.

On May 25, 2006, detectives from the city's Organized Crime Division executed a search warrant at Zhang's home, where they found the counterfeit items in the basement.

The DA said Queens residents should take precautions while shopping for the holidays.

"The holiday season is a busy time for trademark counterfeiters and consumers should exercise caution when shopping for a bargain," he said.