A San Gabriel woman is facing up to 40 years in federal prison after she was charged with importing and selling counterfeit luxury goods from Hong Kong.
Chaoyan Zhang, 33, faces four counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods or services and is scheduled to be arraigned on May 8, the United States Department of Justice said in a news release.
The DOJ said those items, including clothing and accessories from brands like Gucci and Louis Vuitton, were imported through Zhang’s employer, Mitchelle Inc., in February.
The items that were seized by law enforcement would have been worth about $1 million if they were real, but Zhang received far less for the knockoffs.
“Zhang allegedly sold approximately nine counterfeit luxury brand items to a buyer for approximately $490,” the DOJ said.
If convicted, Zhang faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count.
