Bears, Blackhawks Counterfeiter Busted: Cops

A suburban Chicago man has been arrested for running a counterfeit sports apparel shop out of Chicago.

Joseph Kim, 27, of Riverwoods, has been charged with felony possession of counterfeit material by Cook County Sheriff's officers, according to a release.

Kim allegedly ran a factory located on the 4500 block of West Filmore Place in Chicago. When officers raided the factory the discoberd more than 12,000 counterfeit items branded with Chicago Bears,  Chicago Blackhawks and other corporate logos.

The apparel was boxed and ready to be shipped.

Though Kim owns a legitimate embroidery business -- Asian American Industrial -- his counterfeit business accounted for the bulk of his production, Sheriff's officers said.

Vice agents began surveilling Kim after they received information about hundreds of fraudulent T-shirts being sold at out-of-state flea markets.

Kim posted $25,000 bond Thursday morning. His next court date is set for Tuesday.

Contact Us