{"id":17716,"date":"2015-11-25T12:03:13","date_gmt":"2015-11-25T20:03:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=17716"},"modified":"2015-11-25T13:02:23","modified_gmt":"2015-11-25T21:02:23","slug":"woman-trafficked-counterfeit-marlboro-cigarettes-sentenced-nearly-five-years-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cjnotebook.com\/?p=17716","title":{"rendered":"Woman Who Smuggled Counterfeit Marlboro Cigarettes From China Sentenced to Prison"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"Courtroom\"<\/a>A former resident of the San Gabriel Valley who was a major distributor of counterfeit cigarettes in the Los Angeles area has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for trafficking in counterfeit goods, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Morrow<\/strong> sentenced Su Qin Yang<\/strong>, who also used the names \u201cLily\u201d and \u201cAnita Chang,\u201dto four years and nine months in prison.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yang, 45, who resided in Rosemead prior to fleeing to China in 2012, plead guilty in May to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods and admitted in her plea agreement that she trafficked in almost 4 million counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes and almost 4,000 counterfeit Viagra pills.<\/span><\/p>\n

The investigation in this case started after Phillip Morris USA<\/strong> brought information related to the trafficking of counterfeit Marlboro cigarettes to federal authorities, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

When searches were conducted, authorities seized about 27,500 cartons of counterfeit cigarettes and approximately $440,000 in cash, \u201cdemonstrating the huge profits that defendant was obtaining through this crime,\u201d prosecutors said in court papers.<\/span><\/p>\n

The counterfeit products were seized during searches of Yang\u2019s residence and storage locations in the summer of 2012, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the prison term, \u00a0authorities said Judge Morrow ordered Yang to pay $308,894 in restitution to Phillip Morris USA, which holds the trademark for Marlboro cigarettes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Phillip Morris has designated The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund to receive all of the restitution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Yang \u201csold an extremely large quantity of counterfeit cigarettes to great profit, and showed no signs of slowing down,\u201d prosecutors wrote in a brief that sought the 57-month sentence. \u201cIndeed, the government is advised that after defendant\u2019s arrest, the illegal sale of counterfeit cigarettes in the Los Angeles area decreased dramatically.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Yang was named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in August 2013. Also charged in the 16-count indictment was Yang\u2019s husband, Antonio Limbeek, who remains a fugitive and is believed to be in Indonesia.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe black market for counterfeit products poses serious dangers to the community,\u201d said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker.<\/strong> \u201cCounterfeit products endanger public health because they are not manufactured to the same standards as legitimate products. There is a significant possibility of contaminants in counterfeit items, and the black market makes these products more available to minors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

After\u00a0authorities executed the search warrants, Yang and her husband fled the United States. Yang returned to the United States in January, according to authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n

The investigation into Yang and her husband was conducted by the Los Angeles Sheriff\u2019s Department<\/strong> and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement\u2019s Homeland Security Investigations.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn addition to the health risks, trafficking in counterfeit cigarettes, as well as other trademarked goods, is a multi-billion dollar global industry that robs governments of vital revenues and undermines our economy,\u201d said Joseph Macias, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations\u00a0in\u00a0Los Angeles.<\/strong> \u201cEven more disturbing, the huge profits generated by this illicit industry often go to fund other kinds of criminal enterprise.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While engaged in discussions with prosecutors in 2012 about potentially pleading guilty, Yang and Limbeek \u201cfled the country, leaving their minor children behind,\u201d according to the government\u2019s sentencing memo.<\/strong> \u201cThereafter, [Yang] arranged for her minor children to be transported to Washington state and then flown to China, attempting to smuggle over $300,000 in additional cash with them.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A former resident of the San Gabriel Valley who was a major distributor of counterfeit cigarettes in the Los Angeles area has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for trafficking in counterfeit goods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,3],"tags":[1955,1956],"class_list":["post-17716","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-main-slider","category-u-s-department-of-justice","tag-counterfeit-cigarettes","tag-marlboro"],"yoast_head":"\nWoman Who Smuggled Counterfeit Marlboro Cigarettes From China Sentenced to Prison<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A former resident of the San Gabriel Valley who was a major distributor of counterfeit cigarettes in the Los Angeles area has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison for trafficking in 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