Two men were arrested and more than $1 million worth of counterfeit designer products seized from Atlantic City Boardwalk stores Thursday.
Mohammad Usman and Kashif Ansari are accused of selling the mock merchandise at several stores on the Boardwalk.
The stores were searched Thursday, following a two-month investigation led by the Interstate Theft South Unit.
The Atlantic City Metro Task Force Unit, Homeland Security Investigation – Cherry Hill Office, and Atlantic City Police Department assisted with the raid.
“The sale of counterfeit designer merchandise cheats consumers, harms honest retailers, and results in major losses for the retail industry,” Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said. “Atlantic City is an important entertainment destination and these efforts to root out counterfeit merchandise help keep it consumer-friendly.”
The sale and purchase of such items “can potentially cripple the retail industry as a whole,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. “A seizure of this magnitude could not have been made possible without the unwavering efforts of the Interstate Theft South Unit detectives in collaboration with our law enforcement partners.”
Usman, 35, of Egg Harbor Township, and Ansari, 32, of Atlantic City, were charged with criminal simulation and trademark counterfeiting. They were both released on summonses.
Usman was arrested in November 2014 for a similar crime, after $250,000 worth of merchandise was seized. The outcome of that case was not immediately clear.
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