By Nicole Falco
The Nassau County Police Department Crimes Against Property (CAP) Squad, working in conjunction with the county district attorney's office, and acting on a tip from the motion-picture and recording industries, conducted a six-week investigation that culminated in the arrest of seven adults and one juvenile on Sept. 27. An eighth vendor, who police say fled the scene, turned herself in to the Fifth Precinct later that day after she realized that her 14-year-old daughter had been arrested with the other seven vendors, police said. The flea market in which the vendors rented space is open weekends and is located behind Sunrise Cinemas, at 750 Sunrise Highway.
Long before the Recording Industry Association of America ever thought of suing individuals for online music piracy, it conducted random checks of vendors suspected of selling CDs and tapes in violation of copyright laws. The Motion Picture Association of America also routinely investigates the sale of bootleg videos and DVDs.
According to Detective Sgt. James Tilton, deputy commanding officer of the CAP Squad, the eight suspects were allegedly caught in possession of and selling counterfeit CDs from music industry giants, including Sony, Columbia and Arista; counterfeit DVDs distributed by Universal, Paramount and Warner Brothers studios, among others; and knock-offs of well-known designers' clothes and other apparel, including Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Adidas, Coach, Louis Vitton, Burberry and Oakley sunglasses.
The eight suspects arrested are Xia Cherry, 24, of 40-44 Aske St., Elmhurst; Fei Zhang, 29, of 4218 Forley St., Jackson Heights; Bachir Y. Saleh, 32, of 6823 Ridge Blvd., Brooklyn; Yung Mei Xia, 34, of 1307 64th St., Brooklyn; Mohammed H. Rahman, 48, of 1270 Gerard Ave., Bronx; Guang Fu Zhou, 44, of 42-73 77th St., Elmhurst; Hui Chao Chen, 34, of 108-33 51st Ave., Corona; and Xiafei Huang Qu, 34, of 70-35 45th Ave., Woodside.
The suspects were all charged with trademark counterfeiting, and some were charged with failure to disclose the origin of a recording, Tilton said. A 14-year-old, who is not being identified because of her age, was also arrested; she is the daughter of one of the eight, Tilton said.
"There is nothing to indicate they were working collectively at all," Tilton said. "They were independent, freelance merchants."
Typically, counterfeit items are manufactured overseas and illegally shipped to the U.S., Tilton explained. "Finding the suppliers is very difficult," he said, and the recording and motion-picture industries conduct ongoing investigations to identify merchants and suppliers in the counterfeit business.
