Equipment

Three Arrested On Counterfeit Golf Gear Charges

Looks like some people running a counterfeit golf club ring were caught. Good news, though I suspect there are a ton of them out there. If you have not read about my own experience with a counterfeit HiBore XL, be sure to read my post.

Original Story – MSNBC

RALEIGH, NC. – Three residents of Vass were charged last week by North Carolina Secretary of State Trademark investigators following an investigation that state officials believe has uncovered a major product counterfeiting operation headquartered in Moore County.

Donald G. Fondrie, 70, of 736 Ginseng Road, and Warren E. Fondrie, 47, of 1209 Greenbriar Place in Vass, were charged with two felony counts of possessing counterfeit trademarked goods with intent to sell the counterfeit goods. Both men were also charged with resisting a public officer as was a third person, Pei-I Chou, 41, a Taiwanese national who was at one of the residences at the time of a search by Secretary of State investigators and U.S. Postal Service inspectors. All three were charged by state investigators Dec. 4.A two-month investigation by state and federal officers alleges that Donald and Warren Fondrie operated an Internet-based site that sold fake brand-name golfing gear. “We believe this was very much a 21st Century criminal operation,” North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall said Tuesday. “We believe it was completely Internet-based with the fake products coming first from overseas, then being sold on-line and shipped out across this country and throughout the world.”Allegedly, the operation worked by importing fake brand-name goods from Asia, and then selling them both domestically and internationally on a “store site” on eBay, the large on-line auction company. Postal authorities monitored shipping traffic connected to the case for some time before the search. Trademarks allegedly violated included the Titleist brand with fake golfing accessories as well as counterfeit Golf Pride golf club grips.Golf Pride is based in Laurinburg, North Carolina.Also seized in the raid were what are believed to be fake LaCoste brand shirts and other golfing-related items.”One thing we do stress in counterfeit product cases is that fake goods don’t just rip-off and endanger the consumer-they also hurt the manufacturers and retailers here in North Carolina who are playing by the rules, providing jobs, paying their taxes and building our economy,” Secretary Marshall said.”You certainly see that in this case where it appears Golf Pride, a North Carolina-based company, was being hurt by this counterfeiting operation.”The North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State has the statutory duty to enforce laws that protect the holders of state and federally registered trademarks.

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