Lake Charles store owners plead guilty to selling counterfeit merchandise

LAKE CHARLES, La. – United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced today that two Lake Charles retail store owners pleaded guilty to selling more than 800 counterfeit items.

Kayed Masoud, 31, and Ahmad Alnaasan, 42, both of Lake Charles, entered  conditional guilty pleas to one count of trademark infringement to U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen Kay. The pleas will become final when accepted by U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi. According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, members of the Sulphur Police Department went to K&A Golden Fashions to recover stolen property and noticed a large number of counterfeit items such as brand name purses and shoes. After an investigation, Homeland Security Investigation agents executed a search warrant on September 26, 2013 and found 866 counterfeit items with branding such as “Nike,” “Coach” and “Polo.” The value of the items is estimated to be between $30,000 and $60,000.

The defendants face up to 10 years in prison, two to three years of supervised release, and a $2 million fine.  A sentencing date of August 27, 2015 was set.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Sulphur Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Howard C. Parker is prosecuting the case.