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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
PR- 362-03
December 18, 2003

MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG, POLICE COMMISSIONER RAYMOND W. KELLY, CRIMINAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR JOHN FEINBLATT AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS COMMISSIONER GRETCHEN DYKSTRA ANNOUNCE MAJOR COUNTERFEIT GOODS SEIZURE

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly, Criminal Justice Coordinator John Feinblatt and Consumer Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Dykstra to announce the seizure of over $1 million in counterfeit merchandise from a warehouse in the Garment District in Manhattan.  The seizure was the result of a coordinated effort between the NYPD and the Mayor’s Office of Midtown Enforcement and is a significant step in the City’s multi-agency efforts to crack down on traffickers of counterfeit merchandise and illegal vendors.  The announcement was made at the 13th Precinct in Manhattan.

“Trademark counterfeiting is a crime that hurts our City in many ways,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “It hurts legitimate businesses whose original products are ripped off, cheats the City of hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue, and floods our streets with phony merchandise, causing sidewalk congestion and dangerous conditions for pedestrians. I congratulate NYPD and the Office of Midtown Enforcement for taking a major step in cracking down on this criminal enterprise.”

This morning at 6:00 am, the NYPD, working in partnership with the Mayor’s Office of Midtown Enforcement, executed a search warrant on a warehouse located at 1147 Broadway. The building was operating as a warehouse, shipping center, and shopping mall for counterfeit goods.  Police confiscated over $1 million worth of fake Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Coach, Chanel, and Fendi handbags; and fake Sean John and RocaWear apparel. Simultaneous to the search warrant, inspectors from the Department of Buildings, the Fire Department, and the Department of Health conducted thorough inspections of the building and found unsafe conditions and fire hazards.  DOB ordered the building vacated.

A 1994 study by Department of Consumer Affairs estimated that trademark counterfeiting costs the City approximately $350 million per year in lost tax revenue. With inflation, that figure is probably now close to half-billion dollars.  The City is currently investigating other warehouses in the City that are also being used to store and sell counterfeit merchandise.







MEDIA CONTACT:


Edward Skyler / Robert Lawson   (212) 788-2958



GENERAL CONTACT:

Michael O’Looney   (NYPD)
(646) 610-6700


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