A Palm Beach County woman is facing a counterfeiting charge after investigators say an undercover buy at a country club pop-up event turned up a fake Louis Vuitton tote selling for just over $100. Karleen Razzo was arrested Nov. 10 following an investigation that began after deputies received a tip about a woman selling knockoff handbags at local venues, and she was released from jail Wednesday.
Tip Launches Undercover Buy at Country Club Event
According to cw34.com, the investigation began Nov. 3 after deputies received a tip that Razzo was allegedly selling counterfeit handbags for about $100 at Wycliffe Golf and Country Club and through the Instagram account @razzledazzlehandbags. Investigators identified her as the suspect behind the sales and moved to confirm the tip with a hands-on buy.
On Nov. 9, investigators launched an undercover operation at a pop-up boutique event at Broken Sound Country Club in Boca Raton, where Razzo's vendor table operated under the name Razzle Dazzle Handbags and displayed more than 100 items, per the complaint described in the same report. An undercover investigator selected a denim Louis Vuitton tote listed for $99, and Razzo allegedly rang up the total purchase at $104.94.
Brand Expert Flags Fake, Search Turns Up Hundreds More Items
A Louis Vuitton brand enforcement manager who reviewed photographs of the bag determined it was counterfeit, citing differences in quality, packaging, hardware and materials, investigators said. The complaint noted that an authentic version of the same bag would retail for approximately $2,000 — a markup that underscores just how far off the $104.94 price tag fell from the real thing.
Investigators executed a search warrant at Razzo's residence on Nov. 10 and recovered merchandise, shipping supplies, business records and more than 200 items suspected of being counterfeit, according to the report. A mugshot-site listing from palmbeachfl.mugshots.zone records Razzo's arrest that same day on a counterfeiting charge tied to goods valued under $1,000, with bond set at $5,000.
From “Inspired Handbags” to an Admission
Razzo initially described the merchandise to investigators as “inspired handbags” and denied selling counterfeits, per the arrest report cited by cw34.com. The report says she later acknowledged the Louis Vuitton tote was not genuine and admitted to selling counterfeit handbags at events. She now faces a charge related to selling counterfeit merchandise, and she was released from jail Wednesday.
Not the First Palm Beach County Handbag Sting
Razzo's case isn't the only recent counterfeit-handbag bust in the area. In a separate case, authorities accused the owner of a high-end Palm Beach boutique, Arlene Bonner, of selling counterfeit Chanel bags during a sting dubbed “Botox & Bags,” according to nbcmiami.com. In that case, an undercover detective bought a pink Chanel bag for $635, well below the roughly $7,000 estimated retail value of an authentic version, and an authenticator later deemed the purchased bag fake.
In another Palm Beach County case, authorities arrested Yagnara Reyes Barbariche and Andy Boza Yzquierdo after uncovering a large stash of suspected counterfeit designer goods in a garage at a home in Palm Springs, as reported by wpbf.com. That investigation began after police received an anonymous tip about counterfeit items being sold online, and the two defendants were ultimately charged with dealing counterfeit goods valued at more than $20,000, which the station described as a felony under Florida law.
