Illinois Man Sentenced For Trafficking In Counterfeit Rolex Watches

CONTACT:      Barbara Burns
PHONE:         (716) 843-5817
FAX:            (716) 551-3051
 
BUFFALO, N.Y.-U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul Jr. announced today that Frank Alvarado, 44 of Chicago, Illinois, who was convicted of trafficking in counterfeit goods, was sentenced to time served (10 months) and three years’ supervised release by U.S. Senior District Court Judge William Skretny.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen A. Lynch, who handled the case, stated that on July 17, 2013, Alvarado entered a jewelry store located in Amherst, NY and offered a counterfeit “pre-owned” Rolex watch for sale. The defendant presented identification and a social security card as well as a local address and telephone number. The jeweler inspected the watch and found several known specific characteristics of Rolex watches, including the glass face tint color, location of serial numbers, fonts used, and color of gears inside the watch. The jeweler paid $2,200 by check for the watch, which Alvarado subsequently cashed at a bank across the street. An expert for Rolex Watch, U.S.A. subsequently examined the watch and determined that it bore a counterfeit Rolex “Crown Device” mark and that the watch and movement of the watch were not made or manufactured by Rolex. The retail pre-owned value of the genuine Rolex watch was $6000.

The defendant is being detained on outstanding warrants in other jurisdictions for similar offenses.

The sentencing is the culmination of an investigation by the Amherst Police Department, under the direction of Chief John Askey and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge J. Michael Kennedy.