The owners of a shop in the Fashion District recently pleaded guilty to federal charges of importing and selling counterfeit designer costume jewelry, including some merchandise that tested positive for hazardous levels of lead.
Il Keun Oh, also known as James Ken Oh, and his wife, Jacqueline Oh, each entered guilty pleas to one count of conspiracy and one count of delivering a hazardous substance during a June 21 hearing in federal court.
The husband and wife own the Elegance Fashion Mart retail and wholesale store, located just south of the California Market Center on Olympic Boulevard, between Main and Los Angeles streets. Joon Yeop Kim, a family member and manager at the store, also pleaded guilty in the case.
All three of the defendants face a maximum term of more than five years in prison. They are expected to be sentenced on October 18.
The hazardous substance charge followed lab tests that showed some of the counterfeit jewelry seized in the case contained nearly 20 times the amount of lead deemed safe by the federal government's Consumer Product Safety Commission for handling by children, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) representatives. The items had been labeled as "lead free," prosecutors said.
The investigation started with a tip that ICE agents received in 2007, telling them that the Ohs were selling counterfeit designer merchandise.
ICE agents seized more than 25,000 counterfeit pieces of Chinese-made jewelry and accessories ranging from necklaces, rings and bracelets to watches, hair ornaments and cell phone charms during the course of the probe, investigators said.
The items included counterfeit versions of well-known designer brands, including Tiffany and Co., Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior,Van Cleef and Arpels and Hello Kitty.
Investigators estimated that the goods would have been worth $18 million if accepted as genuine and sold at standard retail prices.
Photo from ice.gov.
Leave a comment