SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A woman from Springfield could go to prison and/or be required to pay a hefty fine after admitting in federal court that she sold fake designer and trademarked merchandise at her store. Investigators say Carla Wilson sold counterfeit baseball caps, sports jerseys, watches, clothing, luggage, and DVD movies at Carla’s Fashion Wear between Dec. 1, 2008, and Aug. 23, 2012.
Federal agents raided Carla’s Fashion Wear on Aug. 23 and say they found $100,000 worth of counterfeit merchandise. Some of the fake merchandise included National Football League-licensed clothing, Nike shoes, Louis Vuitton scarves, and X-Men DVD movies. The shop in August was at 2301 N. National Ave., but previously was at 1241 E. Kearney St., according to information in Wilson’s plea agreement.
Before the raid, undercover officers visited the store and bought some of the fake merchandise. They then contacted the companies, which confirmed the goods were counterfeit. During the raid, agents seized 624 movie DVDs, 646 music CDs, and 295 other items of counterfeit merchandise.
Wilson waived her right to a grand jury indictment on Friday. The U.S. attorney’s office then filed a plea agreement in which Wilson pleaded guilty to two charges of trafficking in counterfeit trademarked goods and trafficking in counterfeit copyrighted DVDs.
The first charge carries a prison sentence up to 10 years and a fine up to $2 million. The second charge carries a prison sentence up to five years and a fine up to $250,000. Wilson’s sentencing will be scheduled after a pre-sentence investigation.
