NEWARK, N.J. - A Staten Island, New York, man today admitted his plan to distribute more than $2.5 million of counterfeit UGG-brand boots that were shipped into the Port of Newark, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick announced.
Shi Wei Zheng, 42, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John Michael Vazquez in Newark federal court to an information charging him with one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods. Zheng was originally arrested and charged by complaint on March 7, 2017.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From September 2016 through February 2017, Zheng received certain shipping container numbers from an individual overseas that identified at least three containers containing counterfeit UGG boots. Cheng asked individuals working at the Port of Newark to remove the containers from the port before they could be examined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Once the containers were removed, Zheng directed that they be delivered to other individuals working for him, who would then distribute the boots in New Jersey and elsewhere.
However, before Zheng could distribute the goods, law enforcement intercepted the containers, examined their contents, and determined the boots were counterfeit. At no time was Zheng authorized to import authentic or counterfeit UGG merchandise.
In total, Zheng trafficked in over 15,000 pairs of counterfeit UGG boots, with a total estimated retail value of over $2.5 million. Zheng also paid individuals over $50,000 in exchange for the delivery of the containers.
The trafficking in counterfeit goods charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine. Zheng will be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2018.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fitzpatrick credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of
Acting Special Agent in Charge Debra Parker in Newark, with the investigation leading to Zheng’s guilty plea.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason S. Gould of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Criminal Division in Newark.
Defense counsel: Scott B Tulman Esq., New York
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
