BENTON, Ill. (WJPF) – A Fairfield man has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for illegally importing hundreds of counterfeit designer cell phone cases.
Trevor Edwards, 21, pleaded guilty to two counts of trafficking counterfeit goods. In addition to the time behind bars, Edwards must also pay over $1,300 in restitution and $500 in fines.
“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.
Federal prosecutors say in February of 2021, Customs and Border Protection agents seized a shipment from Hong Kong containing 500 counterfeit designer cell phone cases. Trevor Edwards was the intended recipient. The phone cases were counterfeit Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Gucci and had an estimated retail value of $212,500. In May of 2021, Edwards was pulled over by police in Washington County. A search of his vehicle turned up 336 more counterfeit cell phone cases with an estimated value of $101340, $241,000 in cash, and over 2,900 vape pens and cartridges containing cannabis.
“Counterfeit goods traffickers like Edwards are looking to gain a profit but in reality, are committing a crime that results in American jobs lost, American business profits stolen and American consumers receiving substandard products,” said Sean Fitzgerald, special agent in charge of HSI Chicago. “HSI enforcement operations into intellectual property theft protect not only the companies who have copyrighted products, but the consumers who believe they are buying legitimate goods.”
