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'Faux' merchandise confiscated by police
Cheektowaga Police Officer Christina Newman has a knack for keeping up with fashion trends, and her knowledge of quality products recently led to the arrest of a William Street shop owner for selling counterfeit designer merchandise.
Newman, who next week will celebrate her ninth anniversary as a Cheektowaga police officer, recently led the investigation that resulted in the arrest of Holly Schmitt, 64, of Borden Road. Schmitt is charged with felony trademark counterfeiting in the first degree.
Counterfeit goods are generally sold for a fraction of the price of the authentic items. The result is lost income to the real manufacturers.
"Not to mention the loss to their reputation," Newman added.
The investigation began when Newman saw some purses displayed in the front window of the Isle of Style store, located at 2916 William Street.
"It's something that I'm very interested in," said Newman. "I keep up on all of the fashion trends."
Newman received permission from her supervisor, Lieutenant Gerald Jankowski, to investigate the goods. She purchased a few items from Isle of Style and then sent them to a Pennsylvania based firm that investigates for the manufacturers.
The manufacturers confirmed that the items were counterfeit.
Police confiscated from Schmitt's store nearly 2,000
pieces of merchandise which, if real, would sell for close to $400,000.
Among the merchandise were 896 purses, 292 wallets, several sunglasses and
some jewelry. Several labels bearing many of the top names in the industry
including Coach, Chanel, D&G, Gucci, Louis Vitton and Prada were also
confiscated.
Newman said she is fortunate that the police department's administration
stands behind her work.
"The administration is very supportive," Newman said. "If I ask for
something, they give me what I need."
Besides the lost income suffered by the real manufacturers, money from most
counterfeit items often end up supporting terrorism groups in the Middle
East.
Newman said that most of the fake goods are manufactured by crime
organizations in China. They eventually make their way to streets in the
United States.
"We're finding more links with Iran and Iraq," Newman said. "The money
filters down and ends up in the Middle East, supporting Hezbollah and other
groups."
This is particularly troubling to Newman because she has friends serving in
the military in the Middle East.
A note that was displayed on the store's front door indicated that the raid
by the police department, and specifically Newman, has put the store out of
business.
"Officer Newman felt it necessary to get all my bad bad purses off the
streets," the note, which has since been removed, concluded.
"Don't be selling fake purses and we won't have this issue," said Cheektowaga
Police Captain John Glascott in response to the note.
The Times on Wednesday placed a telephone call to the business, but the call
went unanswered.
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