FBI Seizes Counterfeit Tiffany Merchandise
Staff -- JCK-Jewelers Circular Keystone, 6/1/2003
Federal law enforcement agents seized counterfeit Tiffany & Co. jewelry in a raid of several stores in lower Manhattan on April 17, including knock-offs of some of Tiffany's best-known jewelry designs, according to a statement from the New York-based jeweler and specialty retailer.
The stores targeted for the raid were Enddi Silver and Starglam.com Inc., along with other, unidentified locations. In addition to counterfeit jewelry, FBI agents also confiscated counterfeit packaging, including boxes and bags bearing the Tiffany & Co. trademark in Tiffany's signature blue shade. The man believed to be the owner of Enddi Silver was arrested during the raid and arraigned in Brooklyn federal court.
The FBI is working in conjunction with the United States Attorney's Office in Brooklyn based on complaints from Tiffany.
In addition, Yaniv Shamir and Nadine Vargas, the proprietors of Starglam.com Inc., were arrested as part of the investigation that led to the raid. Starglam.com Inc. is a Web site that allegedly sold counterfeit Tiffany jewelry obtained from Enddi Silver and other stores.
In December, the FBI and the U.S. attorney's office in Brooklyn raided Starglam, which did business through eBay under the seller name "Tiffanyplus" and its own Web site, www.starglam.com, allegedly selling a variety of counterfeit rings, necklaces, and bracelets to consumers. In addition to the charges of supplying counterfeit merchandise to Starglam in New York, Enddi is alleged to have distributed counterfeit Tiffany merchandise to other parts of the country, including Ohio, where local authorities seized counterfeit merchandise in another raid conducted last December.
