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QUEENS--A wholesale auto parts dealer already under indictment for trademark counterfeiting has again been charged following the seizure at his Long Island City dealership of truckloads of counterfeit Ford Motor Company auto parts with an estimated wholesale value in excess of $1 million and a retail value of millions more.
Prosecutors said that Mordekhav Levy, 40, of 455 Hungry Harbor Road, North Woodmere, LI, is alleged to have been operating a "thriving" business dealing in counterfeit Ford Motor Company auto parts all packaged, labeled and distributed as Ford Motor Company manufacturer-quality replacement parts.
"Operations such as that allegedly run by the defendant fuel an underground economy", Queens DA Richard Brown said. "They are cash businesses that pay no taxes. They rip off both the consumer and the industry. And perhaps most importantly, they put an inferior product into the marketplace that jeopardizes the safety of the riding public. Many of these parts, for example, end up in the New York City taxi and limousine fleet and present significant safety hazards."
"Ford is dedicated to ensuring and safeguarding its original and authentic parts in an effort to protect consumers from unknowingly obtaining illegally replicated parts," said Joe Wiegand, manager of Global Brand Protection for the Ford Motor Company. "Many men and women at Ford and the District Attorney's Office spent countless hours investigating this counterfeiting operation in order to bring the offenders to justice and remove the illegal parts from the market. We thank the District Attorney for his dedication and continued cooperation."
Levy is alleged to be the owner of Black and Yellow Major Auto Parts Inc., located at 5-35 54th Avenue in Long Island City. His alleged parts manager, Ronen Perez, 34, of 63 Evans Street in Staten Island, was also arrested. Both men have been charged with trademark counterfeiting in the first degree, a Class C felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison.
The district attorney noted that the defendant Levy was previously charged in November 2004 with trademark counterfeiting for selling counterfeit Ford Motor Company and Daimler Chrysler auto parts. At that time, Levy maintained an automotive parts outlet, also named Black and Yellow Major Auto Parts, at 46-44 11th Street in Long Island City. Sometime after his earlier arrest, Levy allegedly moved his business location around the corner from his original outlet.
Brown said that, according to the charges, on Oct. 6 and 7, undercover investigators went to Black and Yellow's new location and requested tail lamps for a 1997 Lincoln Town Car from the defendant Perez, who allegedly sold them tail lamps with a Lincoln Star emblem embossed on them for $35 each. Investigators from the Ford Motor Company examined the tail lamps, their packaging and labeling and determined that they were counterfeit.
Last Thursday, detectives assigned to the District Attorney's NYPD Detective Squad executed a court-authorized search warrant prepared by the District Attorney's Economic Crimes Bureau at the defendant Levy's new location. Detectives recovered more than $200,000 in cash and four truckloads of counterfeit Ford Motor Company automobile parts including intake manifolds, sway bars, brake pads and rotors, fuel pumps, water pumps, master cylinders, grille assemblies, mirrors and taillights. The confiscated property, according to Ford Motor Company representatives, has a total value wholesale of more than $1 million and a retail value of millions more.
Levy and Perez were arraigned on Friday, Oct. 28, before Queens Criminal Court Judge Lenora Gerald who set bail at $25,000 bond/$10,000 cash for Levy and released Perez on his own recognizance. The next scheduled court date is Nov. 14. Levy, who was released on $25,000 bail in his earlier case, is scheduled to appear on Nov. 9 in Queens County Supreme Court on that matter. 11-2-05
The investigation was conducted by the District Attorney's NYPD Detective Squad, under the supervision of Captain John Zanfardino and the overall supervision of Chief of Detectives George F. Brown, and the District Attorney's Detective Bureau, under the supervision of Lawrence J. Festa, Chief Investigator, and Albert D. Velardi, Deputy Chief Investigator.
Assistant District Attorney Mariana Zelig of the District Attorney's Economic Crimes Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorneys Gregory C. Pavlides, Bureau Chief, and Diane M. Peress, Deputy Bureau Chief, and the overall supervision of Executive District Attorney for Investigations Peter A. Crusco and Deputy Executive Assistant District Attorney for Investigations Linda M. Cantoni.
The District Attorney expressed his appreciation to Ford Motor Company and its Brand Protection Trademark Divisions and the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission and its staff for their assistance in the investigation. 11-02-05
© 2005 North
Country Gazette
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