US importer charged with trading in $1.4m-worth of fake toys

The owner of an El Monte, California toy import business has been charged with manufacturing and possessing more than 500,000 counterfeit goods, including plush toys, backpacks and playing cards, worth $1.4m.

Wan Piao (38) – also known as Edison Piao or Edisson Park - is charged with seven felony counts of counterfeit of registered mark. The defendant is accused of manufacturing and possessing for sale more than 500,000 knock-off items , including fake Pokémon, Hello Kitty, Angry Birds, Lego Ninjago, JanSport, Shopkins and Super Mario items.

The products were discovered by law enforcement in March 2017, at Piao’s two El Monte warehouses. Piao was arrested on November 1 and is expected to be arraigned on December 4.

The charges include an allegation of taking more than $500,000 through fraud and embezzlement, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. If convicted as charged, Piao faces a possible maximum sentence of 12 years in custody. Bail has been set at $370,000.