Texas man charged with fake sportswear trafficking

A man from Round Rock, Texas, has been charged with selling more than $325,000 worth of counterfeit sports apparel on eBay.

Authorities in Austin arrested 58-year-old Steve Kim on federal counterfeiting charges, including one count of conspiracy to defraud the US and one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. 

According to the indictment, from January 2010 until June 2, 2017, Kim knowingly sold more than $325,000 worth of counterfeit sports apparel on eBay. A vast majority of the items was acquired in China and shipped to his home in Round Rock. Those items included National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL), and National Hockey League (NHL) jerseys and hats.

On June 2, 2017, federal and state authorities executed a search warrant at the defendant’s residence and seized more than 2,300 items bearing counterfeit markings to include NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, Reebok, Louis Vuitton, New Era and others. Suggested retail value of the seized items exceeds $189,000.

Upon conviction, Kim faces up to five years in federal prison on the conspiracy charge and up to ten years in federal prison on the counterfeit goods charge.

Photo by Eduardo Balderas on Unsplash