south street store owner sentenced to prison over counterfeit goods
PHILADELPHIA - Yi Ping Zheng, a/k/a “Zheng Yi Ping,” a/k/a “Ping X. Zhenh,” 48, of Philadelphia, was sentenced today to 44 months in prison for trafficking in counterfeit goods which he was selling out of a store - New Discoveries Handbags, at 643 South Street in Philadelphia. On December 15, 2011, agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations entered the store and seized more than 3,000 pieces of counterfeit merchandise with a manufacturer’s retail sales price of approximately $1,250,000. The seized products included purses, handbags, wearing apparel, wallets, sunglasses, scarves, labels, jewelry, watches, umbrellas, key chains and handbag locks for multiple registered trademark holders. The second floor of the store also had machines and devices for attaching trademark protected labels onto counterfeit items.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Eduardo Robreno ordered Zheng to pay a fine in the amount of $2,500, a $100 special assessment and ordered three years of supervised release. As a condition of his release, Zheng is prohibited from owning or operating a retail store.
The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Arlene D. Fisk.
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, EASTERN DISTRICTof PENNSYLVANIA
Suite 1250, 615 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
PATTY HARTMAN, Media Contact, 215-861-8525
