Man Pleads Guilty to Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 03, 2011 |
BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that Marvin R. Hardy, Jr., 36, of Buffalo, New York, pleaded guilty before Chief U.S. District Judge William M. Skretny, to trafficking in counterfeit goods and access device fraud. Trafficking in counterfeit goods carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $2,000,000. Access device fraud is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marie P. Grisanti, who handled the case, stated that Hardy sold counterfeit purses bearing counterfeit marks from Versace, Burberry, Kate Spade, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Prada, Coach, Balenciaga and Coco Chanel at the “The Purse Barn” in West Seneca, New York. The defendant also charged $2,900 for transactions that never occurred on the credit cards of four customers. Those customers had previously used their credit cards at The Purse Barn.
The plea is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Richard W. Kollmar, Acting Special Agent in Charge. The West Seneca Police Department assisted in the investigation under the direction of Chief Edward Gehen.
Sentencing is scheduled for September 21, 2011 at 9:00 a.m. EST, in Buffalo, N.Y., before Judge Skretny.