By Dan McDermott
Warren County Report
An investigation by three Virginia law enforcement agencies and a private Richmond merchandise consultant has determined that the Rolex watches being sold at a rural Bentonville gas station for 6 cents on the dollar are, in fact, counterfeit.
More bad news: apparently the same applies to the Louis Vuitton bags and other name brand items seized June 17 from Foodway Supermarket, located at 2868 Stonewall Jackson Highway.
According to a release from Warren County Sheriff Daniel T. McEathron, investigators found apparel labeled as Nike, Lacoste and other top-selling names during their sweep of the store and managers’ apartment. Authorities also seized $15,000 in genuine cash.
If the items that were confiscated in the seizure would have been authentic, the retail value would be over $579,000. The items that were seized were being sold for approximately $35,000 collectively, according to the release.
A popular store in the southern Warren area known more for its hot lunches than designer accessories, Foodway is owned by Manish Desai of Northern Va., according to Warren County Sheriff’s Office Investigations Sgt. G. T. Foster.
“This is an ongoing national problem,” said Sheriff McEathron, who indicated that Blazer Investigations was used as a consultant to determine which merchandise was fake.
The sheriff’s office was also assisted by investigators from the Northwest Regional Task Force and Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office.
From the Sheriff: The sale of counterfeit merchandise is a violation of state and federal law. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Warren County Sheriff’s Office Investigation Division at 540 635-7100 or by Crime Tips email at http://www.warrencountysheriff.org
Dan McDermott: dan@mcdermottreport.com
It’s funny how the clothes, watches, etc. were labeled as “counterfeit” but the worthless pieces of paper known as “Federal Reserve Notes” or “dollars” were described as “genuine”. That fiat money is far more “counterfeit” than the clothes could ever hope to be.
What a surprise; that was Jason Hartsell’s opinion of our dollars…
Of course that is my opinion of “our” dollars. If I could think of a better word than “counterfeit” I would’ve used it. How else can you describe the pieces of paper that sit in our banks accounts while its value melts by the minute?