Brooklyn man in Trumbull jail, faces charge of counterfeiting charge

The merchandise was traced to flea markets, where it was sold.

STAFF REPORT

NILES — One man will face a grand jury on a counterfeiting charge, and another man was cleared in a preliminary hearing Friday in municipal court.

Wu Tao, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was taken to the Trumbull County Jail. He will later face a grand jury on one charge of trademark counterfeiting.

Niles Prosecutor Terry Swauger said the trademark counterfeiting charge against John Lastic, 59, of Greensburg, Pa., who was arrested along with Tao, was dismissed by the state after a review of the evidence.

After the preliminary hearing for the two in Niles Municipal Court, Lastic was released.

Tao’s bond was lowered from $100,000 to $25,000.

The charge against Tao stems from the raid of a Weathersfield Township warehouse, where between $15 million and $20 million in counterfeit merchandise was discovered.

Purses, wallets, jewelry, hats, gloves, shoes and scarves marked as original Louis Vuitton, Prada, Harley Davidson, Playboy, Tiffany Co., and others were some of the goods determined to have been shipped to New York from China, which later made their way to Ohio.

The merchandise was traced to flea markets and supply outlets, where it was sold.

After about a dozen vendors were arrested at a flea market last May, in Monroe, Ohio, investigators then learned of the warehouse in Weathersfield.

Police Detective Ken Parson, the Monroe officer who has followed the transfer of goods in the region, said leasing records for the warehouse indicate the counterfeiting operation may have existed as early as 2006.

With a search warrant, authorities from Weathersfield and Niles went to the property, at 1804 N. State Street, where they found Lastic and Tao in the parking lot outside.

The two were arrested after they were discovered with a case of knock-off purses inside their minivan. Lastic was the driver of the van, authorities said.