Man charged with selling nearly $200,000 in counterfeit shoes in Durham
A Durham County man is facing felony counterfeiting charges Thursday after authorities say he tried to sell nearly $200,000 in counterfeit shoes.
According to the North Carolina Department of the Secretary of State, authorities charged 44-year-old Derris Levar Batiste of Durham with seven felonies, including:
- Criminal use of a counterfeit trademark
- Possession of a firearm by a felon
- Possession of a stolen firearm
- Trafficking opium or heroin
- Possession with intent to manufacture, sell or deliver a schedule II controlled substance
- Maintaining a building used for keeping or selling a controlled substance.
Deputies with the North Carolina Sheriff's Office and the state Secretary of State's Counterfeiting Task Force discovered over 1,000 counterfeit items, including:
- 984 pairs of Nike sneakers
- 86 pairs of Adidas sneakers
- 36 pairs of Timberland boots
- 11 pairs of Nike/Louis Vuitton shoes
According to the Secretary of State's Office, the estimated retail price of the goods, if they were authentic, are valued at $192,000.
"Not only are consumers getting inferior quality goods when they buy counterfeits, they're supporting criminals who harm honest manufacturers and merchants," N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall said. "We don't want consumers to get taken during this season of giving by buying counterfeit products."
Marshall created the task force in 2004.
Since it's founding, according to Marshall, the task force has worked more than 7,500 cases and took more than $190 million in counterfeits off the streets.
