A Chicago man faces a felony charge after he attempted to sell more than 200 counterfeit Cubs hats outside of Wrigley Field before Friday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Daniel Thomas, 36, tried to sell at least 242 inauthentic pink and blue Chicago Cubs hats without authorization, Chicago Police said. He has been charged with one count of selling counterfeit merchandise, which is a class 3 felony.
A police officer patrolling the area before Friday's game asked Thomas to leave if he was selling fake merchandise. Thomas told the officer he would leave, but 15 minutes later, he was stopped by investigators with the Department of Homeland Security and security personnel from a private firm hired by Major League Baseball, according to police. The investigators were searching specifically for counterfeit goods.
Thomas told police he has faced charges for selling counterfeit merchandise before and was wearing an ankle bracelet as a result of one of those incidents. An agent with Homeland Security told police Thomas had been caught selling counterfeit goods at sporting events in six states since 2013, including Maryland, North Carolina, Louisiana, Nevada and Washington.
Homeland Security seized $363 from Thomas, and Chicago police kept the 242 hats as evidence.
Thomas, of the 100 block of South Ashland, was ordered held in lieu of $25,000 bail.
