Six indicted in huge counterfeit clothing ring

NEW YORK – The indictments of six defendants for selling counterfeit trademarked clothing from the brands Polo, Lacoste, North Face, and True Religion to smaller distributors, who sold the goods throughout the United States, were announced on Wednesday by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr., and New York City Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly. The defendants – Ali Chahine, 43, Imad Elcheikhali, 48, Wassim Faisal, A/K/A Michael Saissan, 44, Haissam Saleh, 28, Mehdi Saleh, 37, and Kassem Tohme, 40 – are charged with Trademark Counterfeiting and Conspiracy.

“Counterfeit goods are of inferior quality – they are often unsafe, unregulated, and of unknown provenance,” said District Attorney Vance. “Buying them may appear on the surface to be a bargain, but it harms all of us in the long run. As the holiday season approaches, I want to advise shoppers to avoid counterfeit goods, because purchasing them can carry serious hidden costs. My Office seeks to protect the business community from those who attempt to profit from the theft of their copyrighted material and intellectual property.”

Police Commissioner Kelly said: “We were concerned about this operation not only because it was cheating New Yorkers but also because of indications that proceeds were sent to areas in Southern Lebanon of concern to the Intelligence Bureau. The Bureau’s detectives and analysts, along with our federal partners in this case and the prosecutors with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, are to be commended for their investigation.”

According to documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court, between approximately February and July 2013, Elcheiekhali, with the assistance of Chahine and Faisal, sold counterfeit clothing to distributors around the country, including here in Manhattan. On July 16, 2013, law enforcement officials recovered more than 2,000 boxes of trademark counterfeit clothing at a storage facility in Queens linked to the defendants. The clothing is estimated to have a street value of more than $3.2 million and a manufacturers’ suggested retail price for the genuine product of more than $13.4 million.

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