Two from Northeast Queens Netted in Trademark Counterfeiting Bust

Residents from Oakland Gardens, Bellerose and Great Neck were among 19 people arrested in a trademark counterfeit ring bust, the Queens district attorney said.

Police dismantled four organized trademark counterfeit rings based in Queens on Wednesday and the defendants were arraigned before Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter.

The groups allegedly imported and sold counterfeit brand name apparel and other items from China to wholesale buyers throughout the United States and the Virgin Islands, Queens DA Richard Brown said. A total 19 defendants are currently in custody.

Among the defendants was Oakland Gardens’ Suk B. Yi, 18, who was charged with enterprise corruption and trademark counterfeiting. His ball was set at $100,000 and he was forced to surrender his passport. He will return to court on Jan. 28.

Bellerose’s Bobak Ahouraie, 23, was charged with trademark counterfeiting. He will return to court on Nov. 21.

And Great Neck’s Jan Sanandaji, 37, an alleged wholesale buyer, was charged with trademark counterfeiting and will return to court on Jan. 29.

Other Queens defendants included Flushing’s Jian Zhong Jian, 43, and Xiu Wei Ye, 43 and Woodhaven’s Samantha Defreitas, 26.

The alleged bosses of the operation include Brooklyn’s Izak Chaloh, 28, Yosif Mamrout, 33, and Yu Zhen Cao, 39.

Other Brooklyn defendants included Laureano Lopez, 29, Wei Feng Cao, 45, and Zhi Wei Liang, 53. Staten Island’s Xiu Yin Jin, 34, was also arrested.

The DA said the groups allegedly operated from self-storage facilities in Queens and Brooklyn, generating approximately $10 million in combined gross annual revenue.

“Operations such as those allegedly run by the defendants fuel an underground economy,” Brown said. “They are cash businesses that pay no taxes and damage the reputations of reputable brand owners and lower consumer confidence in the name brands by foisting inferior products into the marketplace.”

If convicted, the defendants charged with enterprise corruption face up to 25 years in prison, while the other defendants face up to seven years.

The investigation, known as “Operation Finish Line,” began in Nov. 2010 with an undercover investigation of counterfeit goods at two self-storage buildings in Queens.

Police utilized physical surveillance, undercover buys, intelligence gathering search warrants and electronic eavesdropping on telephones and email accounts, through which thousands of conversations were intercepted.

During the investigation, counterfeit merchandise totaling $750,000 and more than $500,000 in cash were seized, the DA said.