Sellers facing charges for counterfeit items at flea market

Edgemere, Md. -  

19 people are facing charges from selling $1.5 million worth of counterfeit merchandise at the Plaza Flea Market in Baltimore County.

On February 16, detectives began serving search warrants on approximately 16 vendors who were believed to be selling counterfeit property at the flea market, according to Baltimore County Police.  Detectives began investigating after complaints were received about counterfeit property.

Police seized shirts, jackets, movies, CDs, sunglasses, jewelry, clothing, purses, including over 3,500 counterfeit phone accessories and over 4,000 pairs of counterfeit shoes.  Detectives estimate the worth of the merchandise around $1.5 million.

County police said that while search warrants were being served, detectives shut down the flea market to ensure that the vendors involved remained at the scene and that no evidence was removed from the property.

The seized merchandise was evaluated by trademark experts who found 19 individuals faced with charges that included selling counterfeit merchandise.

County police say that counterfeit merchandise is problematic for many reasons including consumer safety and taxes that are used to support local and state governments are not collected.