HOUSTON - Han Woon Liew, 46, of Sugar Land, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson along with Brian M. Moskowitz, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Houston. Liew pleaded guilty Nov. 18, 2014.
Today, U.S. District Judge Lynn C. Hughes ordered he serve 70 months of federal imprisonment to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay $2.6 million in restitution.
“The partnership between HSI - Houston special agents and officers of the Houston Police Department (HPD) led to the downfall of one of the region’s largest distributors of counterfeit luxury goods" said Moskowitz. “The significant prison sentence imposed by the court highlights the serious nature of intellectual property crimes and the large restitution figure reinforces the fact that these are not victimless crimes."
Liew admitted that from January 2012 through April 2014, he intentionally trafficked in goods, specifically counterfeit Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, Coach and Gucci purses and wallets. Liew knowingly used counterfeit marks, which were registered trademarks, in an attempt to make the items appear legitimate.
Liew was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The investigation leading to the charges was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of HPD. Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Celia Moyer and Special AUSA Mark Evans are prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
