美國(guó)繳獲價(jià)值近5億美元奢侈品假貨，32名華裔被捕

The federal government said it had seized enough counterfeit Gucci bags, Hermes belts and Tory Burch purses to fill 22 shipping containers, in a six-year investigation into the importation and sale of fake luxury goods that ended on Thursday with charges filed against 33 people. The individuals were charged with conspiracy, trafficking in counterfeit goods and trademark counterfeiting.

美國(guó)聯(lián)邦政府表示，在對(duì)假冒奢侈品的進(jìn)口和銷(xiāo)售展開(kāi)的為期六年的調(diào)查中，政府繳獲了22個(gè)集裝箱的假冒古馳(Gucci)手袋、愛(ài)馬仕(Hermes)皮帶，以及托利·伯奇(Tory Burch)手袋。調(diào)查工作已于上周四結(jié)束，調(diào)查的結(jié)果導(dǎo)致對(duì)33人提起訴訟，這些人被指控合謀、販賣(mài)假冒商品和偽造商標(biāo)。

The goods were part of a scheme originating in China that stretched to warehouses in Queens and even to retailers in Illinois and California, officials from Homeland Security Investigations, a branch of the United States Customs and Immigration Enforcement agency, announced at a news conference in New York on Thursday.

上周四，美國(guó)移民與海關(guān)執(zhí)法局(United States Customs and Immigration Enforcement，簡(jiǎn)稱ICE)下屬的國(guó)土安全調(diào)查處(Homeland Security Investigations)官員在紐約的一個(gè)新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上宣布，這些假貨屬于一個(gè)預(yù)謀計(jì)劃，它源自中國(guó)，遠(yuǎn)及皇后區(qū)的倉(cāng)庫(kù)甚至伊利諾伊州和加利福尼亞州的零售商。

“This is the largest investigation that our agency has had regarding the amount of counterfeit items,” Angel M. Melendez, New York’s special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York, said in an interview.

“從假貨的數(shù)量來(lái)看，這是我局進(jìn)行的規(guī)模最大的一次調(diào)查，”ICE特工、國(guó)土安全調(diào)查處紐約負(fù)責(zé)人安吉爾·M·梅倫德茲(Angel M. Melendez)在接受采訪時(shí)說(shuō)。

The goods seized were knockoffs of popular brands, including Gucci, Tory Burch, Hermes, Coach, Burberry, Michael Kors and Louis Vuitton. There was knockoff Chanel perfume, too, which concerned investigators since previous schemes had involved using animal urine instead of the perfume company’s formula.

被查封的商品都是流行品牌的冒牌貨，包括古馳、托利·伯奇、愛(ài)馬仕、蔻馳(Coach)、博柏利(Burberry)、邁克爾·科爾斯(Michael Kors)，以及路易威登(Louis Vuitton)。此外還有香奈兒(Chanel)香水的仿制品，這令調(diào)查人員不安，因?yàn)樵谝郧暗念?lèi)似案件中，仿制品使用了動(dòng)物尿液，而不是公司的配方。

Authorities estimated that the loss in retail value to the United States was nearly a half-billion dollars. In 2012, federal authorities in Newark, N.J., charged 29 people with trying to smuggle $325 million worth of fake goods into the country.

當(dāng)局估計(jì)，美國(guó)的零售價(jià)值因這些假貨遭受了將近5億美元的損失。2012年，新澤西州紐瓦克的聯(lián)邦官員曾對(duì)29人提起訴訟，他們被指控試圖將價(jià)值3.25億美元的假貨走私到美國(guó)。

Mr. Melendez said at the news conference that 32 of the men and women had been arrested. All of them are of Chinese heritage. One was living in the country illegally.

梅倫德茲在新聞發(fā)布會(huì)上說(shuō)，已逮捕了32名男子和女子。他們都是華裔，其中一人在美國(guó)屬于非法居住。

Mr. Melendez said the federal government had attacked the supply chain rather than going after individuals who sell counterfeit goods on the streets.

梅倫德茲說(shuō)，聯(lián)邦政府這次打擊的是供應(yīng)鏈，而不是那些在街頭銷(xiāo)售假冒商品的個(gè)人。

The investigation began in 2012, when Customs and Border Protection agents at the Port of Newark noticed anomalies in a shipping manifest; upon opening a 40-foot cargo container, the agents inspected the goods and realized they were counterfeit, said Leon Hayward, the assistant director of trade and cargo security for the border agency.

這項(xiàng)調(diào)查始于2012年，當(dāng)時(shí)，紐瓦克港口的海關(guān)和邊境保護(hù)局(Customs and Border Protection)工作人員在一份艙單上發(fā)現(xiàn)了異常，該部門(mén)負(fù)責(zé)貿(mào)易和貨物安全的助理主任萊昂·海沃德(Leon Hayward)說(shuō)，在打開(kāi)了一個(gè)40尺貨柜后，工作人員對(duì)貨物進(jìn)行了檢查，發(fā)現(xiàn)它們是假貨。

Mr. Melendez said that the fraud scheme had two parts. In one, counterfeit goods were made in China and then shipped to the United States through as many as eight legitimate shipping companies.

梅倫德茲說(shuō)，這個(gè)欺詐預(yù)謀計(jì)劃由兩部分組成。一是在中國(guó)制造假冒商品，然后通過(guò)多達(dá)八家合法航運(yùn)公司運(yùn)往美國(guó)。

The importers represented themselves as employees of legitimate importing companies with email addresses and phone numbers. The goods were trucked to warehouses in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island, and then wholesale distributors sold the goods to other distributors.

這些進(jìn)口商自稱是有電子郵件地址和電話號(hào)碼的合法進(jìn)口公司的雇員。這些貨物用卡車(chē)運(yùn)到皇后區(qū)、布魯克林和長(zhǎng)島的倉(cāng)庫(kù)后，經(jīng)批發(fā)商賣(mài)給其他分銷(xiāo)商。

In the other part of the scheme, he said, defendants traveled to China to purchase generic items, which could be exported legally. A separate factory then produced knockoff logos, which were smuggled into the United States and affixed to the goods.

梅倫德茲說(shuō)，計(jì)劃的另一個(gè)部分是，被告人去中國(guó)購(gòu)買(mǎi)可以合法出口的無(wú)商標(biāo)產(chǎn)品。然后在另一家工廠生產(chǎn)假冒商標(biāo)，這些商標(biāo)被走私到美國(guó)后貼在商品上。

Three retail businesses in Queens and two in Manhattan were part of the scheme, Mr. Melendez said, adding that they had closed. But an employee at one of the businesses identified by authorities, Proya Fashion, in the Manhattan garment district, said it was still operating, and insisted that no one was arrested. The employee hung up before giving her name.

梅倫德茲說(shuō)，皇后區(qū)的三家零售店和曼哈頓的兩家零售店都參與了這個(gè)預(yù)謀計(jì)劃，并補(bǔ)充說(shuō)這幾家零售店都已關(guān)門(mén)。但記者聯(lián)系到被政府確認(rèn)為參與者的位于曼哈頓服裝區(qū)的一家名為Proya Fashion的公司時(shí)，該公司的一名員工說(shuō)，公司仍在經(jīng)營(yíng)，并堅(jiān)稱沒(méi)有人被逮捕。這名女性員工沒(méi)說(shuō)自己的名字就掛斷了電話。

None of the other businesses could be reached for comment.

記者無(wú)法聯(lián)系到其他公司置評(píng)。

Twenty of the containers came in through the Port of New York and New Jersey, and two through the Port of Los Angeles, Mr. Melendez said.

梅倫德茲說(shuō)，有20個(gè)集裝箱是通過(guò)紐約和新澤西的港口進(jìn)入美國(guó)的，另外兩個(gè)集裝箱是通過(guò)洛杉磯的港口進(jìn)來(lái)的。

As part of the indictment, authorities for the agency, known as ICE, said they also seized personal property belonging to the defendants in the New York metropolitan area worth a total of $12 million.

ICE官員在起訴書(shū)中說(shuō)，他們還沒(méi)收了居住在紐約大都會(huì)地區(qū)的被告人的個(gè)人財(cái)產(chǎn)，總價(jià)值達(dá)1200萬(wàn)美元。

ICE is better known for its operations in domestic immigration enforcement, which have led some Democratic candidates around the country to call for the agency to be abolished. Some officials within Homeland Security Investigations, which conducts investigations of crimes like counterfeit goods, money laundering, drug trafficking, human smuggling, child exploitation and cybercrimes, have sought to distance themselves from immigration enforcement.

ICE在美國(guó)國(guó)內(nèi)的移民執(zhí)法行動(dòng)更廣為人知，這導(dǎo)致美國(guó)各地的一些民主黨候選人呼吁廢除該機(jī)構(gòu)。ICE下屬的國(guó)土安全調(diào)查處負(fù)責(zé)調(diào)查假冒商品、洗錢(qián)、販毒、人口販運(yùn)、兒童剝削和網(wǎng)絡(luò)犯罪等非法行為，這個(gè)部門(mén)的一些官員試圖拉開(kāi)他們與移民執(zhí)法的距離。

In June, 19 investigators sent a letter to Kirstjen Nielsen, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, requesting a stand-alone agency.

今年6月，19名調(diào)查員致函美國(guó)國(guó)土安全部(Department of Homeland Security)部長(zhǎng)克爾斯蒂恩·尼爾森(Kirstjen Nielsen)，要求設(shè)立一個(gè)獨(dú)立機(jī)構(gòu)。

Ronald D. Vitiello, the deputy director of ICE, who had come to New York for the announcement of the investigation, said that the agency’s two arms should remain together. “I think the work that both big halves of the organization do are mutually dependent,” he said. “Part of my vision going forward is to make sure each of us understands that.”

負(fù)責(zé)此次調(diào)查的ICE副局長(zhǎng)羅納德·D·維蒂洛(Ronald D. Vitiello)在宣布調(diào)查結(jié)果時(shí)來(lái)了紐約，他說(shuō)，這兩個(gè)部門(mén)不應(yīng)該分開(kāi)。“我認(rèn)為，執(zhí)法局的兩大部門(mén)所做的工作是相互依賴的，”他說(shuō)。“我今后工作的一部分就是要確保我們每個(gè)人都懂得這一點(diǎn)。”