Passaic County, N.J., Man Sentenced To 15 Months In Prison For Importing And Selling Counterfeit Merchandise

NEWARK, N.J. – A Passaic County, N.J., man was sentenced today to 15 months in prison for importing and selling counterfeit merchandise, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Wesam Abedrabbo, 29, of Clifton, N.J., previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to an information charging him with trafficking in counterfeit goods. Judge Hayden imposed sentence today in Newark federal court.

According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court:

Abedrabbo admitted that from March 2010 through May 2012, he imported counterfeit merchandise from Asian locations, including China, Taiwan, and Japan, for resale in the United States. The counterfeit merchandise purported to be from companies including the North Face and UGG, and professional sports associations, such as the NFL, NHL, and MLB. Abedrabbo advertised the counterfeit merchandise on the Web site tophotnamebrands.com and sold the counterfeit merchandise on eBay. Abedrabbo also paid other individuals a commission to sell the counterfeit merchandise for him over the Internet. In connection with his illicit efforts, Abedrabbo sold more than $350,000 worth of counterfeit goods.

In addition to the prison term, Judge Hayden sentenced Abedrabbo to one year of supervised release. She also ordered Abedrabbo to forfeit $387,516, representing the gross proceeds of his sale of counterfeit merchandise.

U.S. Attorney Fishman praised special agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Andrew M. McLees in Newark, for the investigation leading to today’s sentence. 

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph B. Shumofsky of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Economic Crimes Unit in Newark. 

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Defense counsel: Jay V. Surgent Esq., Lyndhurst, N.J.