A U.S. Division of State worker is accused of utilizing his embassy pc in Seoul, Korea, to promote counterfeit Vera Bradley purses to clients throughout the US.
Gene Leroy Thompson Jr., 53, and his spouse Guojiao “Becky” Zhang, 39, have been arrested Wednesday, in response to federal prosecutors.
The 2 labored with an alleged confederate who saved and shipped the products from a house in Nyssa, Oregon, in response to an indictment unsealed Wednesday. Thompson had beforehand lived in Nyssa, public information present.
The indictment fees Thompson and Zhang every with conspiracy to site visitors in counterfeit items and two counts of trafficking in counterfeit items. The alleged Oregon confederate has not been recognized or charged.
Thompson, an data program officer for the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, engaged within the alleged scheme from his work station that’s situated inside a delicate “Data Program Heart,’’ a safe facility designed to guard categorised data, in response to the indictment.
He’s accused of making on-line accounts on the market of the counterfeit baggage on eBay, Poshmark, and Mercari, utilizing his State Division pc, after which offering the login credentials for these accounts to his spouse, the indictment says.
As soon as a web based transaction was accomplished, Zhang is accused of offering the data and a pay as you go delivery label to the alleged co-conspirator in Oregon.
The proceeds from gross sales, which federal prosecutors say occurred from September 2017 via December 2019, have been deposited into the couple’s financial institution accounts of their names at Navy Federal Credit score Union and SunTrust Financial institution, in response to the indictment.
Vera Bradley bought wind of the alleged scheme and despatched a cease-and-desist letter on April 23, 2018, to the alleged Oregon participant, who in flip, emailed Thompson to tell him.
“Okay, I assumed this is able to occur. Cease all cargo,’’ Thompson responded by e-mail to the Oregon alleged confederate, the indictment says.
Thompson then, in response to the indictment, knowledgeable his spouse by e-mail , “Take the entire itemizing for VB down. VB has caught you.’’
After that time, Thompson and Zhang are accused of promoting counterfeit Vera Bradley merchandise utilizing aliases, the indictment alleges.
It’s unclear the place Thompson and Zhang have been arrested. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court docket in Eugene, however the two haven’t appeared in court docket but to face the indictment.
The Workplace of Particular Investigation’s diplomatic safety service investigated the case, with assist from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
— Maxine Bernstein
E mail at mbernstein@oregonian.com
Comply with on Twitter @maxoregonian
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