The FBI says companies overseas copy all kinds of electronics, illegally putting brand names and logos on the outside but using inferior parts on the inside. Dishonest dealers then sell them illegally as genuine brand-name products.An article in the Charlotte Business Journal in September provides more useful details for anyone not familiar with the case.
In the Waxhaw case, federal court documents allege at least a half-dozen different Web sites were used to sell counterfeit items that made their way from China to Waxhaw before being shipped to unsuspecting buyers across the country.
According to a Waxhaw town memo dated 3/20/09, the investigation involved houses in the Quellin & Providence South Downs neighborhoods.Federal authorities have seized more than $345,000 in cash and electronic equipment of undetermined value in an investigation of an alleged counterfeit equipment operation in Waxhaw.
Elizabeth Lopez and Omar Salem sold counterfeit iPods, memory sticks, digital picture frames and other electronic equipment, investigators allege.
Affidavits and other documents filed Tuesday in seizure proceedings in U.S. District Court in Charlotte say the two sold the equipment through several online and catalog operations. They include Deals Direct Inc., Computer City.com Inc. and The Computer Warehouse.
Brian Boze of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says Lopez and Salem are being investigated on allegations of trafficking in counterfeit goods, conspiracy, mail fraud, wire fraud and smuggling goods into the United States.
No charges had been filed against them in federal court as of midweek.
While I have not been able to find much details on this current case (still under investigation), it appears that Elizabeth Lopez & Omar Salem have teamed up before in Florida much to the chagrin of Disney, Viacom, and Warner Brothers. I'm fairly confident that the Lopez & Salem detailed in the following link are one and the same.
LegalMetric link
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