A Chula Vista man who sold counterfeit World Cup soccer jerseys on the Internet was sentenced Monday to four months in prison, which will be followed by five months in a halfway house.
Clemente Leon, 37, is still free on his own recognizance and must surrender to begin his term by Sept. 21 in an order from U.S. District Court Judge John Houston in San Diego.
Leon must forfeit $50,000 in proceeds from the business and must turn over all counterfeit merchandise that has not been already seized, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Melanie Pierson. Leon discovered online a company in China which was making the counterfeit merchandise.
Leon began selling imported soccer jerseys and other clothing from China that were shipped to him and stored in his Chula Vista garage. He received a cease and desist letter from Nike in August 2013, but continued selling the items, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Leon placed counterfeit World Cup team patches and stencils with the names of World Cup players on the back of the jerseys. He sold them online on his own website and also through Amazon.
Pierson argued for five months in prison with the five months spent in a halfway house afterwards. His attorney, Marc Carlos, asked for straight probation, saying he had no prior record. Carlos said his client immediately stopped selling the items after a law enforcement agency contacted Leon.
It is not known if Nike or Adidas had financial losses as a result of Leon’s scheme, as neither company replied to the federal probation department asking for that information. Carlos said in court documents that no one was harmed, and any losses to those companies were minimal.
