Bradford family found guilty of £500k conspiracy

Amar Choudry, Yasir Choudry, Qaisar Choudry, Faisal Choudry and Mudasar Alishan, were each sentenced at Bradford Crown Court to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years. They were also ordered to complete 300 hours of unpaid work.

Stephen Carr,a supplier of counterfeit, branded heat transfers, was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, and 180 hours of unpaid work.

The sentences followed a two year investigation into the online sale of counterfeit clothing by West Yorkshire Trading Standards and TRAP partners Surelock International.

Using a number of eBay and Amazon user accounts, the extended family generated counterfeit sales of £472,898 over a five year period.

The printing took place at the family business YMC Clothing Ltd, in Bradford.

The proceeds were then used to purchase a number of properties and high value motor vehicles. The trademarks breached included Arctic Monkeys, The 1975, Motorhead, Ramones, Beyonce, 5 Seconds of Summer, Harry Potter, Ed Sheeran and Nirvana.

Judge Colin Burn described the offending as a “well organised fraud with the backing of a legitimate company.”

Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings will now be undertaken to recover the total extent of their benefit from their offending.

After the case, David Lodge, Head of Trading Standards, said: “The trade in counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime, it impacts directly on UK jobs and the high street.This service will continue to bring to justice those individuals seeking to benefit from the theft of intellectual property and take away the assets accrued through criminal conduct.”

Full story courtesy of The Telegraph and Argus