Justice seizes $1.5M in fake goods from China

WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- More than $1.5 million from online sales of counterfeit sportswear made in China was seized by U.S. officials, the U.S. Justice Department said Friday.

The funds were seized from bank accounts and six money service business accounts on warrants unsealed in the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia on May 7, the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a release.

The seizure is the latest activity in Operation In Our Sites, a law enforcement project targeting online commercial intellectual property crime announced by ICE's Office of Homeland Security Investigations in June 2010. The program targets online retailers in an array of counterfeit goods, including sports equipment, shoes, handbags, athletic apparel, sunglasses and DVD boxed sets.

Last month, the Justice Department seized more than $896,000 in proceeds from sale of counterfeit sports apparel on commercial Web sites as part of Operation In Our Sites.

To date, 761 domain names of Web sites used in the sale and distribution of counterfeit goods and illegal copyrighted works have been seized, federal officials said.

"The seizures … are another step forward in our efforts to disrupt and disable those engaged in intellectual property crime," U.S. Assistant Attorney General Breuer said. "By seizing the domain names and profits of online counterfeit goods operations, we are protecting consumers and sending a message to criminals that we will use every tool at our disposal to stop them."