A Long Island, New York, woman was arrested Oct. 7 for allegedly mislabeling and selling $40 million in counterfeit products, Nassau County, New York officials announced Tuesday.
Authorities arrested 31-year-old Smithtown, New York, resident Lindsay Castelli on charges of trademark counterfeiting following a year-and-a-half investigation into Linny’s Boutique on Old Country Road in Plainview, New York, Fox5 reported. Castelli was reportedly the sole owner of the business, according to the outlet.
Detectives reportedly discovered Castelli maintained 22 printing-press machines and carried imitation Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Dior, Ugg, and Louis Vuitton products after an Oct. 4 search warrant into the business, ABC7 noted. Her counterfeit products totaled to around $40 million and were shipped all over the United States, investigators stated, according to the outlet. (RELATED: CBP Seizes $10 Million In Fake Rolexes From Hong Kong)
Her store purportedly carried thousands of heat-sealed counterfeit products, the outlet noted.
Woman arrested in $40M counterfeit operation in Long Island boutique https://t.co/tkuYaDhYHo pic.twitter.com/7xj3pKwscy
— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) October 11, 2022
“They would take a hat, a $3 hat, a $0.50 item on the side. They would heat seal it onto the hat and sell (the) hat for $300,” Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said at a press conference, Fox5 reported. A sweatshirt with a Chanel logo sealed onto it took $10 to make and was sold for $5,300, Ryder said, the outlet noted.
Castelli turned herself in to police Oct. 7 and has since been released pending a Nov. 2 court summons, according to ABC7.