RALEIGH – NC Secretary of State Agents led an enforcement sweep at a Greensboro flea market that resulted in the seizure of counterfeit trademarked products with an estimated retail value of $460,000 and five people being charged with trademark violations.

The estimated retail value is the amount the genuine trademarked items would sell for. Agents with the NC Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force discovered knock-off designer apparel and accessories including Air Jordan shoes, UGG boots, Rolex watches, Gucci handbags, and pirated CDs and DVDs.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Greensboro Police Department assisted Task Force Officers on the enforcement sweep at “The Flea” flea market at 3220 North O’Henry Boulevard in Greensboro.

Ramon Vararro Poteat, 60, of Browns Summit, and Alhage Mohammed Secka, 51, of Raleigh were each charged with one count of felony criminal use of a counterfeit trademark. Three other flea market vendors were charged with misdemeanor trademark violations: Evette Delynn Daouda, 53, of Greensboro; Felicia Dianne Able, 46, of Greensboro; and Joey Ray Willis, 39, of Danville, Virginia.

“This enforcement sweep took counterfeit products with an estimated retail value of nearly half a million dollars off Greensboro’s streets,” said NC Secretary of State Elaine Marshall. “Counterfeit products do real economic harm to legitimate manufacturers and merchants, pose a health and safety hazard to consumers, and can help fund organized crime. I thank our Task Force Officers as well as Homeland Security and the Greensboro Police Department for their invaluable assistance in this case.” Secretary Marshall created the N.C. Anti-Counterfeiting Task Force in 2004. Since its founding, the Task Force has worked more than 5500 cases and taken more than $150 million in counterfeits off the streets.

Secretary Marshall was awarded the 2019 Brand Protection Hero Award from the Center for AntiCounterfeiting and Product Protection at Michigan State University for her leadership in combating counterfeits. 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.