Two Oklahoma City boutique owners are accused of turning designer dreams into a knockoff operation, after a Multi-County Grand Jury on Monday indicted them in a multimillion-dollar counterfeit case. Investigators say they recovered millions of dollars' worth of allegedly fake luxury merchandise, and the arrests came after the grand jury returned felony counts tied to trademark counterfeiting as part of what local authorities describe as an ongoing push to shut down sellers of fake designer goods.
The grand jury indicted Dania Gainza Almaguer, 33, and Yude Erlinda Arellanes Perez, 42, on felony charges alleging violations of the Trademark Anti-Counterfeiting Act, as reported by KOKH. Investigators said Almaguer was arrested after more than $1 million in suspected counterfeit items were recovered, while Arellanes Perez was linked to more than $2 million in seized goods.
"Counterfeit goods aren't just a rip-off for consumers; they fund criminal enterprises and undercut legitimate businesses," Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in comments included in the report. Authorities say the seized merchandise included alleged knockoffs bearing the labels of Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Chanel and Coach tied to Arellanes Perez, and suspected Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Cartier and Fendi items linked to Almaguer, according to KOKH.
Legal Implications
Federal law treats trafficking in counterfeit goods as a serious crime. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2320, criminal penalties can include prison time and large fines for those convicted of knowingly trafficking merchandise marked with counterfeit trademarks, with penalties that increase based on the value and nature of the goods involved. Legal Information Institute
Why Prosecutors Go After Knockoffs
Prosecutors and brand owners argue that the counterfeit trade does more than cheat shoppers; it can fund organized crime, undercut legitimate businesses and create safety risks for consumers. International studies estimate the global trade in fake goods is worth hundreds of billions of dollars, which helps explain why state and federal authorities often put these investigations near the top of their to-do lists. OECD/EUIPO
The cases were brought by a Multi-County Grand Jury and involved coordination between the attorney general's office and local law enforcement; the Oklahoma Attorney General's newsroom has used the Multi-County Grand Jury process for similar indictments in recent months. Court dates and other scheduling details had not been posted publicly when the initial report was filed. Oklahoma Attorney General's Office
