A Bolingbrook man is accused of selling counterfeit sports jerseys, championship rings, and other sportswear through an online store.
Robin G. Huberty, 62, is charged with six felony counts of infringing on the Trademark Counterfeiting Act, according to a statement from the Will County sheriff’s office.
Detectives were notified in late February by the Department of Homeland Security that an investigation was ongoing into Huberty’s alleged illegal shipments of thousands of sports memorabilia with logos from MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL, Majestic, Adidas and Nike, the sheriff’s office said.
Investigators showed up at Huberty’s home on Sept. 11 and served him with a search warrant, the sheriff’s office said. He was brought in for questioning and cooperated with detectives.
He allegedly stated he ordered the merchandise from China and had been selling items through two websites since mid-2017, the sheriff’s office said. His sales were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars the following year, he allegedly told detectives.
All despite receiving numerous letters from U.S. Customs and Border Protection advising him of the consequences after the shipments were seized, the sheriff’s office said. Huberty allegedly ignored the letters and kept the business going.
During the investigation, authorities seized Huberty’s 2012 Toyota Camry and several counterfeit items, including 554 jerseys, seven pairs of Adidas shoes, 64 baseball hats, nine sports team patches and sales proceeds.
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He is being held at the Will County Jail on $75,000 bond, the sheriff’s office said.
