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2 Accused Of Scheme To Sell Counterfeit Disney Pins Online

SANTA ANA (CBS) — Two men will appear in court Friday on charges they imported $2 million worth of counterfeit Disney pins made in China to sell online.

Robert Edward Smyrak, 52, of Anaheim, and Larry James Allred, 57, of Walnut, face charges in connection with the plan to sell the phony pins as collectibles online, according to the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

The Orange County District Attorney's office says they sent legitimate pins to China to be copied and had them sent back so they could sell them online.

The two received about 80 shipments of the bogus pins and they were worth about $2 million, prosecutors allege.

Smyrak's ex-girlfriend, Cynthia Lynn Pratt Vedder, was also arrested in April and was charged Wednesday with felony manufacturing and sale of counterfeit mark for being involved in a similar operation, according to Farrah Emami, a spokeswoman for the Orange County District Attorney's Office.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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