Former Henderson County Business Owner Sentenced to 12 Months for Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods

OWENSBORO, KY—The former owner of Tree Tops business, located in Henderson County, Kentucky, was sentenced to 12 months and one day by Chief Judge Joseph H. McKinley, Jr. today in United States District Court for trafficking in counterfeit goods, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. There is no parole in the federal system.

Yorel Petrie, of Henderson, Kentucky, pleaded guilty on February 20, 2013, to a one-count federal indictment returned on September 12, 2012. According to the plea agreement, between January 2008 and October 6, 2009, Petrie, while owner and operator of Tree Tops, trafficked in hats, shoes, and clothes, while knowingly using counterfeit marks to represent trademarks then owned and registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Examples of the spurious marks the defendant knowingly used, which were identical to or substantially indistinguishable from marks that were then in use and registered for hats, shoes, or clothes include: the Nike “Swoosh” trademark, the Nike “Jumpman” trademark, the Polo Ralph Lauren “Polo by Ralph Lauren” tag, the Major League Baseball logo, the NBA logo “Jerry West” silhouette, the Ed Hardy stylized cursive logo, and the Lacoste “alligator” logo.

Petrie admitted in court that the purpose of the Tree Tops business was the importation and sale of goods bearing counterfeit trademarks. Further, Petrie admitted that the use of the counterfeit marks and logos was likely to cause confusion and deceive customers.

This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Micah R. Reyner and is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).