Plea Deal in Case of Counterfeit Baseball Caps and Batteries
In July 2005, ICE agents and local police working in cooperation with Major League Baseball and the Detroit Tigers, executed a search warrant at a Michigan business owned and operated by Ibrahim Hijaki and seized 16,372 counterfeit baseball caps. That was not all that they found, however. In addition to Hijaki's stock of phony Tigers caps, officials found and seized 17,438 counterfeit Duracell batteries. The total value of the goods seized from Hijaki was around $175,000. However, of greater concern than the economic impact in a case like this, is the potential threat to public safety. As ICE agent Brian Moskowitz pointed out, "In addition to hurting the U.S. economy, counterfeit items, such as the 17,000 seized batteries, are a significant public safety issue. Counterfeit batteries aren't produced with consumer safety in mind, and have been known to get dangerously hot and even explode."
This case illustrates a growing (and disturbing) trend in counterfeiting operations. These days, the very same individuals who traffic in counterfeits that cause only economic injury, such as sporting goods and luxury items, are frequently also trafficking in counterfeit pharmaceuticals, batteries, extension cords and other fakes that can seriously injure or even kill users.
According to an ICE press release, Hijaki entered a guilty plea yesterday. However, under his plea agreement he faces a maximum sentence of only six months (and a possible fine of up to $250,000). No explanation was given for this seemingly short maximum sentence.