Man Tried To Sneak $2.5M In Fake Ugg Boots Through Port Newark: Prosecutor

NEWARK, NJ — A Staten Island man has admitted his plan to distribute $2.5 million of counterfeit Ugg-brand boots that were shipped into the Port of Newark, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

Shi Wei Zheng, 42, pleaded guilty before a U.S. district judge in Newark to trafficking in counterfeit goods. Zheng was originally arrested and charged by complaint on March 7, the U.S. Attorney's Office (New Jersey) stated.

According to court documents and statements, from September 2016 to February 2017, Zheng allegedly 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, prosecutors stated.

However, before Zheng could distribute the goods, law enforcement intercepted the containers, examined their contents, and determined the boots were counterfeit, prosecutors said.

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At no time was Zheng authorized to import authentic or counterfeit UGG merchandise, prosecutors said.

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, according to prosecutors.

The trafficking in counterfeit goods charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine, prosecutors said.

Zheng is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 23, 2018.

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File Photo (not the boots in the above article): Flickr Commons / SPERA