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Police: Fake Super Bowl Merchandise Sold At Flea Market

Tribune photo by MICHAEL SPOONEYBARGER

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent Frederick Chow displays a counterfeit NFL jersey as he talks with reporters after a raid on a booth at a local flea market where hundreds of jerseys were seized Wednesday morning in Tampa.

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TBO.com

Published: January 28, 2009

Updated: 01/28/2009 11:03 pm

TAMPA - Authorities said Wednesday that counterfeit Super Bowl merchandise with a retail value of more than $1.2 million was being sold from a north Tampa flea market.

Junior Raphael Prentice, 38, 4021 E. Idlewild Ave., is accused of selling the fake merchandise at the International Flea Market. He was being held Wednesday night on $2,000 bail at Orient Road Jail.

Tampa police, Hillsborough County sheriff's deputies, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and National Football League security are participating in the investigation.

Police and federal agents said at least two dozen boxes of merchandise were found, including jerseys and hats from various NFL teams.

Investigators said Prentice rents two stalls at the flea market, 11309 N. Nebraska Ave. They were seeking a warrant to search his other stall, Fitted Up, which was closed.

Freddy Chow, a special agent with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said investigators noticed the merchandise wasn't up to par. On one jersey, the name of Hall of Famer Reggie White was printed upside down.

"We noticed some misspelling of words and different shades of team colors," Chow said.

He said official merchandise should have an NFL hologram and a serial number on the hang tag.

Detectives completed an inventory of the bogus merchandise Wednesday night. Among the counterfeit items are:

*488 NFL jerseys, 129 NBA jerseys, 95 Major League Baseball jerseys and 32 NHL jerseys.

*819 Nike shoes.

*592 handbags with designer labels.

*348 wallets with designer labels.

*175 watches with designer labels.

*Sunglasses and miscellaneous jewelry.

The total retail value of the counterfeit merchandise is $1,227,540.

Police also seized a box truck Wednesday that contained more counterfeit items and an inventory will be made this morning, Tampa police Lt. William Ferguson said in a written statement.

Eric Carter, 36, of Tampa said he bought three pairs of Nike Air Jordans from Prentice two weeks ago for $55 each. Today, he came back to the International Flea Market to return the shoes, only to find swarms of law enforcement there.

He wanted to return the shoes because their glue and material were coming undone, he said.

Carter said authorities should crack down on counterfeit goods.

"You kind of want the deal, but this time it wasn't a deal because it wasn't authentic."

The street value of counterfeit merchandise identified in the U.S. in 2007 was about $250 billion, said Ralph Frasca, the chief executive officer of Grand ISS, a risk management firm that consults with Fortune 500 companies.

Prentice's arrest was "not surprising at all," Frasca said. "It happens all the time."

Frasca said 98 percent of bogus merchandise is made in China then shipped to the United Arab Emirates for global distribution. The items are imported in Los Angeles or hauled by truck from Mexico, Frasca said.

Counterfeit shirts and football jerseys are sold between $2.50 and $4 wholesale and merchants then sell them for at least $30, he said.

"It's not a victimless crime," Frasca said. "You're feeding organized crime like the Chinese Triad and supporting child labor."

Tribune reporter Ray Reyes and News Channel 8 reporter Samara Sodos contributed to this report. Tribune reporter Valerie Kalfrin can be reached at (813) 259-7800.

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