Nassau Men Charged In Million-Dollar Counterfeiting Plot: Police

Two Wantagh men were arrested on Monday and charged in a million-dollar cell phone counterfeiting scheme, police say.

According to police, a four-month-long investigation was conducted by the Nassau County Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and US Customs and Border Protection. Detectives targeted shipments of cell phone components and accessories from China and discovered counterfeit Apple and Samsung products.

Police say the shipments were supposed to be delivered to a home on Poulson Street in Wantagh, and the business AMS World, located at 1228 Wantagh Ave. in Wantagh. Police say that Gurcharan Luthra, 37, and Sumesh Pasricha, 48, both of the Poulson Street home, repaired Apple and Samsung phones using the counterfeit parts. Police say the repaired phones were then repackaged in counterfeit packaging and sold as new.

According to police, Luthra and Pasricha would sell the phones online and to independent cell phone stores throughout the New York metropolitan area.

Police say that, at the time of the arrest at 6:30 a.m. Monday morning, they recovered about $1.1 million in cash along with multiple counterfeit phones, parts and packaging. Police also seized three cars: a 2016 Mercedes and two 2015 Toyotas.

Pasricha is charged with second-degree counterfeiting and fifth-degree conspiracy. Luthra is charged with two counts of second-degree counterfeiting. Both were arraigned in First District Court in Hempstead on Wednesday.

Photos: Sumesh Pasricha, left, and Gurcharan Luthra. Courtesy Nassau County Police Department.