St. Louis County Man Pleads Guilty To Trafficking Counterfeit Goods

St. Louis, MO – RASHAD SHABAZZ, of St. Louis, pleaded guilty to trafficking in counterfeit goods this morning.  He appeared before U.S. District Judge Carole E. Jackson, who accepted his plea and set sentencing for August 29, 2014.  At sentencing, Shabazz faces up to 10 years imprisonment, a fine of up to $2,000,000 or both.

According to the plea agreement, on November 5, 2013, Shabazz was found to be running an open-air store offering counterfeit apparel from purveyors such as Polo Ralph Lauren, Nike, Timberland and True Religion, as well as counterfeit electronic media.  Shabazz admitted that he knew the merchandise he was selling was counterfeit and also admitted he had received the goods from interstate and foreign shipments.

The case was investigated by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and the United States Department of Homeland Security.