What looked like designer items at bargain prices at a South Bay swap meet were actually knock-offs, according to the DA's office.
San Diego County District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced Friday that seven people have been charged with suspicion of selling hundreds of counterfeit clothes and CD's, worth more than $200,000.
According to Dumanis' office, undercover investigators seized approximately 900 counterfeit items from the South Bay Drive-In Swap Meet, located at 2170 Coronado Avenue in San Diego in October 2008. The items included sunglasses, handbags, and clothes with designer labels including True Religion, Hollister, Ed Hardy, Bebe, Rock & Republic, Chanel, Coach, Christian Audiger, Lacoste, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Gucci, and Prada.
In addition, more than 300 pirated CD's were seized, according to Dumanis.
Felony charges were filed against the defendants identified as Amanda Orozco-Vargas, 28; Daniel Garcia, 28, Jose Montes De Oca Sr., 71; Pablo Alejandro Curiel-Duron, 39; Maria del Rosario Villalobos, 49; Lidia Rodriguez, 51; and Omar Tellez-Lorenzano, 34. The charges include counterfeit of a registered trademark and failure to disclose the origin of recorded or audiovisual work. If convicted, the defendants face up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The illegal sales of bootleg CDs charges carry a maximum penalty of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The arrests were made in cooperation with the San Diego Police Department, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Recording Industry Association of America.
