A sign at Luxury Fashion Accessories at the Manassas Mall told customers the bags labeled with names like Coach and Chanel were fake, but that didn’t keep police from busting the store owner.
Taoufik Lamharhar was charged Thursday with copyright infringement. The 35-year-old Manassas man is facing up to five years in prison. Prince William County police estimated they seized $53,000 worth of counterfeit goods in the form of hundreds of purses, earrings, sunglasses, scarves, wallets and necklaces.
Police said the store crossed a legal line when it slapped the brand-name labels onto the fake items.
Virginia law prohibits using such labels without the consent of the copyright holder because they’re likely to cause “consumer confusion.”
“That’s where they made it illegal,” police spokeswoman Officer Erika Hernandez said. “That’s where they violated the law.”
The law guarantees the brand-name companies the right to sue the counterfeiter.
Earlier this month, detectives visited Luxury Fashion Accessories and purchased counterfeit Coach, Gianni Versace, Gucci and D-Cada handbags, police said.
They asked the sales associate whether the bags were authentic and she told them they weren’t. They then asked whether all items in the store were fake, and the saleswoman said they were.
A prominently displayed sign contained a lengthy message informing customers that the “handbags are knockoffs,” Hernandez said. The sign claimed the bags were comparable in style and quality.
“The brand name,” the sign reportedly said, “is solely for comparison purposes.”
By not claiming the bags were originals, Lamharhar will avoid facing federal charges and much stiffer penalties, police said.
Lamharhar was released on $10,000 bail and has a court date on Oct. 3. In addition to seizing the counterfeit goods, police also took Lamharhar’s 2003 Toyota Echo, police said.
