Feds Seize Thousands of Apparently Fake Flyers' Retail Items
By John McDevitt
A multi-jurisdictional investigation during the NHL Winter Classic has led to the seizure of tens of thousand of dollars' worth of counterfeit merchandise in Philadelphia.
Officials say that more than 1,600 counterfeit items including t-shirts, sweatshirts, and Flyers jerseys were confiscated from vendors near the stadium and from mail facilities.
"The majority of these items are made over in China," said John Kelleghan, special agent in charge of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ("ICE") Office of Investigations in Philadelphia. "They are knockoffs. They are counterfeit. They are not the quality that someone would buy at a legitimate store. The monies sent on these items are used to be funneled back to the criminal element to be used on other criminal acts."
Kelleghan says the merchandise seized has a manufacturer's suggested retail price of nearly $350,000.
Officials want the public to report suspicions of counterfeiting to them at www.IPRCenter.gov or by phone at 1-866-347-2423.
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