A trio’s knockoff days are over after they were charged following the confiscation of more than $1 million in fake designer goods from seven Ridgewood storage units, according to authorities.
Hai Yan “Ya-Ya” Yang, 40, of Bayside; Jaing J. Nan, 42, of College Point; and Brooklyn resident Guo X. Zhen, 55, were arraigned on Oct. 16 in Queens Criminal Court on a charge of first-degree trademark counterfeiting.
According to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, a search warrant was executed on Oct. 15 at Cubesmart Self Storage on Wyckoff Avenue in Ridgewood. Yang, Nan and Zhen were arrested at the storage facility where more than $1 million worth of counterfeit items in about 100 boxes were found.
The trip was allegedly selling the items — which included knockoff handbags, belts, hats, jackets, sneakers and boots from designers such as Louis Vuitton, Coach, Gucci, Michael Kors, North Face, UGG, Burberry, Hermes, Prada and others — from the Ridgewood location.
“One may argue that buying fake designer goods is a victimless crime, but counterfeit operations like this one fuel an underground economy that benefits only the alleged criminals,” Brown said. “Their transactions are cash-only and therefore rob both city and state municipalities of much-needed tax revenue. There products — inferior in material and quality— also damage the reputation and brand of the designers they copy.”
Bail was set at $20,000 each and the three were ordered to return to court on Nov. 10. If convicted, Yang, Nan and Zhen face up to five years in prison.
