"Counterfeit cornucopia"

From the Times Newsweekly:

Just days before the unofficial start of the Christmas shopping season, police seized a bounty of counterfeit designer merchandise with a estimated street value running into the millions from a Maspeth warehouse during a raid on Tuesday, Nov. 24, it was reported.

In all, more than 4,000 boxes containing counterfeit sneakers, handbags, wallets and shoes bearing brand name labels such as Nike, Gucci, Coach, Chanel and Louis Vuitton were among the items found by officers inside the facility. Police sources estimated that the inventory had a street value of about $10 million.

Authorities said that two vehicles — including a rental truck — and 9mm handgun were also recovered by police during the raid.

Officers from the precinct reportedly learned of the illicit enterprise while responding to an assault of a 22-year-old businessman at the location last Saturday night, Nov. 21.

During the incident, authorities said, the victim — 22-year-old Victor Hsiao of 207th Street in Bayside — was allegedly beaten with baseball bats by two Corona men — 32-yearold Zhe Song Yu and 25-year-old Feng Chen, both residents of 43rd Avenue — at around 7 p.m. last Saturday over an apparent dispute related to the merchandise inside the Flushing Avenue facility.

The officers reportedly spotted the attack in progress and brought it to an end.

Both Yu and Chen were taken into custody at the scene on assault charges. A third individual at the scene — 17-year-old Fei Peng of Holly Avenue in Flushing — was also cuffed after allegedly presenting police with forged identification.

While investigating the incident at the scene, the 104th Precinct officers reportedly learned that Hsiao was allegedly in possession of 40 cases of counterfeit merchandise.

Though Hsiao was not seriously injured in the attack, law enforcement sources said, he allegedly attempted to flee inside a truck. However, his flight from the law ended abruptly when the truck struck a concrete pillar.

Hsiao was arrested at the scene and charged with trademark counterfeiting.