U.S. Department
of Justice
Jury Convicts Two for Conspiring to Traffic Counterfeit Levi’s
NEWS RELEASE SUMMARY – August 2, 2024
SAN DIEGO – After a three-day trial, a federal jury has convicted Marin Morales-Espinoza and Francisco Alvarado-Ramirez of conspiracy to traffic counterfeit Levi’s jeans labels, tags, rivets and buttons to make counterfeit Levi’s jeans.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Morales paid people to smuggle counterfeit Levi’s pieces and parts into the United States from Mexico at the Calexico Port of Entry. Another co-conspirator paid Morales to drive the pieces to his home in Los Angeles. That co-conspirator brought the pieces to Alvarado at his factory in the Garment District to make the counterfeit Levi’s jeans.
Tens of thousands of counterfeit Levi’s tags, buttons and rivets were seized at the Port of Entry. Over 2,000 completed counterfeit Levi’s jeans were seized from Alvarado’s factory. These fake Levi’s were sold at local swap meets by other co-conspirators. These are photos of the counterfeit parts:
