FAIRFIELD, Ill. (WEHT) — A 21-year-old Fairfield man was sentenced to 33 months in federal prison after admitting to importing more than 800 counterfeit designer phone cases from Hong Kong.
Department of Justice officials say the phone cases ranged from counterfeit Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Chanel. According to court officials, Trevor J. Edwards pled guilty to two counts of trafficking counterfeit goods.
“In two separate instances, the defendant knowingly attempted to obtain counterfeit goods in order to resell and manipulate consumers in downstate Illinois,” said U.S. Attorney Rachelle Aud Crowe. “Reselling counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime, and offenders face serious consequences.”
Officials say Customs and Border Protection seized 500 counterfeit designer cellphone cases from a shipment that reached the U.S. border from Hong Kong back in February 2021. According to court documents, Edwards was listed on the box as the recipient, which contained an estimated $212,500 worth of counterfeit phone cases.
Months later, Edwards was reportedly pulled over by Washington County law enforcement officials. Authorities say they found 336 counterfeit designer cell phone cases, $241,000 in cash and 2,909 vape pens and cartridges containing cannabis inside his car.
In addition to his prison sentence, Edwards will receive three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $1,367.20 in restitution and $500 in fines.
