New York Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Merchandise

A man who was selling counterfeit merchandise at a “Clearance Sale” located on 16^th Ave. S.W. in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, pled guilty today in federal court in Cedar Rapids.

Yahya Jawad, age 57, from Binghamton, New York, was convicted of one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods.

In a plea agreement, Jawad admitted that on January 9, 2015, he was selling counterfeit merchandise at a “Clearance Sale.”  Law enforcement officers purchased three counterfeit items from him including a pair of headphones that appeared to be “Beats Audio” headphones and two purses. One appeared to be a “Michael Kors” purse and the other a “Louis Vuitton” handbag.  After confirming that these items were counterfeit, law enforcement officers returned to the “Clearance Sale” and seized additional counterfeit items, including more headphones and purses, as well as other clothing items.

Sentencing before United States District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade will be set after a presentence report is prepared.  Jawad remains free on conditions of release set by the court pending sentencing.  Jawad faces a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment, a $2,000,000 fine, a $100 special assessment, and three years of supervised release following any imprisonment.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anthony Morfitt and was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.

Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov.  The case file number is 15-CR-83.

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