A Lauderhill jewelry store owner is currently faced with charges for selling counterfeit luxury items estimated to be worth over $1.6 million. Ok Yon So, who is 71 years old, was arrested on charges relating to counterfeit goods as detailed by both arrest reports and jail records, NBC Miami reports.
The accused is the proprietor of Sharon Jewelry located in the Lauderhill Mall, and the investigation into business has been ongoing since December. Store personnel had confirmed to an undercover Chanel investigator that the items being sold were indeed replicas when pieces of Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry were purchased at a fraction of their true value, according to an arrest report. The genuine items would command prices of $8,400 for a necklace and $6,400 for earrings, as stated by an attorney for Van Cleef & Arpels.
A cease and desist notice had been previously served to Sharon Jewelry and Ms. So in May of 2020, by Chanel, demanding a halt to the sale of items bearing the Chanel logo. However, Ms. So did not comply with the request to voluntarily surrender the merchandise at that time, as reported by The Published Reporter.
In a follow-up operation, an undercover officer discovered numerous items portrayed as luxury goods from brands such as Chanel, Christian Dior, Rolex, and others at prices significantly below their authentic counterparts. A pair of Chanel earrings as an example, which would typically sell for around $550, was purchased for $49. Chanel later confirmed the earrings were in fact counterfeit. During the execution of a search warrant in March, authorities seized 246 items of suspected counterfeit jewelry and over $20,000 in cash.
In conversations with investigators, Ok Yon So admitted to the sale of counterfeit jewelry. If authentic, the seized items would have had a suggested retail price of $1,617,367. As of now, attorney information for Ms. So has not been made available.
