ALBANY, N.Y. — Five suspects were arrested and more than 81,000 counterfeit LiveStrong wristbands seized as part of investigations by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer and the New York Police Department.
Authentic LiveStrong wristbands sell for $1 each, with proceeds going to the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
The fakes were being sold in bulk from the illegal distributors, said a spokeswoman for Spitzer’s office. Undercover investigators paid $100 for 240 wristbands, and in one case bought 102 dozen wristbands for $400.
The suspects were charged in felony complaints that included one count of trademark counterfeiting in the second degree. If convicted, they each face a maximum of one to three years in prison.
Arrests were made last week after search warrants were executed at 34 West 27th Street in Manhattan, which is allegedly operated by Mettime Group Inc., and “uncovered massive numbers of counterfeit LiveStrong wristbands,” the Spitzer spokeswoman said. Individuals at Mettime Group allegedly sold more than 1,000 counterfeit wristbands to undercover investigators last month. Arrested and charged were Sui Ping Qu, owner of Mettime Group, along with Xi Chen and Ding Chai Yi of the company.
A second search warrant revealed that Eastlink International Inc., a Queens-based company, allegedly imported thousands of counterfeit wristbands and distributed them to Mettime Group and other New York retailers, the spokeswoman said.
That incident led to Li Ping Liang Chen and Wei Hua Chen of Eastlink being charged. More than $100,000 in cash was also seized at the Queens location. None of those charged could be reached for comment. It could not be learned whether any of those charged had been arraigned.