Inver Grove Heights Man Indicted For Alleged Counterfeit Jersey Business
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A federal grand jury has indicted a 45-year-old Inver Grove Heights man for allegedly trafficking counterfeit sports jerseys imported from China, the United States Attorney's Office announced Monday.
On Friday, Brian Todd Gore made his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeanne Graham. He's charged with conspiracy and trafficking in counterfeit goods.
The indictment alleges that between November 2009 and September 2012, Gore ordered the fake jerseys from suppliers in China and sold them to another co-conspirator with the knowledge that the jerseys would be sold to the public.
Gore is also accused of traveling to 2010 NFL Super Bowl to sell counterfeit NFL jerseys. He allegedly possessed around 383 counterfeit NFL jerseys at the time.
If convicted, Gore faces a potential maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine.
"Trafficking in counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime," said Special Agent in Charge J. Michael Netherland of Homeland Security Investigations in St. Paul. "Buying these items may appear at first to be a bargain, but when we take into account how the money it generates is often tied to organized crime or worse, we see that this 'victimless crime' harms us all in the long run."
