Press Release
MIAMI MAN CONVICTED OF TRAFFICKING IN COUNTERFEIT “CUBAN” CIGARS
September 15, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Office of Investigations, and Robert Parker, Director, Miami-Dade Police Department, today’s conviction of defendant Lauro Perez, 66, of Miami, on charges of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit cigars and seven counts of trafficking in counterfeit cigars, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 2320(a). Sentencing is scheduled for Monday, November 23, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Court Judge James Lawrence King.
According to evidence presented at trial, Perez manufactured more than 50 boxes of counterfeit cigars, and sold them to an undercover Miami-Dade Police detective. The defendant manufactured and sold the counterfeit cigars from his Miami home. The cigar boxes were meticulously detailed replicas of well-known cigar brands, including Montecristo, Cohiba, Romeo y Julieta, Trinidad, and others, all of which brands are trademark protected in the United States. As well, the cigar boxes falsely represented that the enclosed cigars were Cuban. The defendant sold each counterfeit box of cigars for $45.
Mr. Sloman thanked the Miami-Dade Police Department Economic Crimes Bureau and ICE’s Office of Investigations for their outstanding work in this investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jaime Raich.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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