Chula Vista Man Guilty Of International Trafficking In Over $100,000 Worth Of Counterfeit World Cup Jerseys

SAN DIEGO – This afternoon Clemente Leon of Chula Vista pled guilty to selling hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of counterfeit World Cup soccer jerseys over the internet.

In pleading guilty, Leon admitted that in August of 2013, approximately four months after he began importing soccer jerseys and other clothing from China, he received a Cease and Desist letter from Nike. Leon acknowledged that after learning that the jerseys were counterfeit, he nonetheless continued to import the counterfeit soccer jerseys, and then placed counterfeit World Cup team patches and stencils with the names of World Cup players on the backs of the jerseys, in his garage in Chula Vista. Leon admitted that he sold the jerseys bearing the unauthorized and counterfeit trademarks throughout the United States over the internet on his own website, www.playerasfutbol.com, and via Amazon.com, and received payment via PayPal and other means. Leon agreed that the value of the counterfeit goods he sold was between $120,000 and $320,000. As part of his plea, he agreed to forfeit $50,000 of proceeds from the sale of the counterfeit jerseys.

Leon is scheduled to be sentenced on August 17, 2015, at 8:30 a.m. before the Hon. John A. Houston, United States District Court Judge.

DEFENDANTS		Case Number: 15cr1326-JAH
Clemente Leon	Age: 37	Chula Vista, California
CHARGES
Importation Contrary to Law—Title 18, United States Code, Section 545 Maximum penalty:      20 years’ imprisonment and $250,000 fine
INVESTIGATING AGENCIES
Homeland Security Investigations