A new indictment accuses an Inver Grove Heights man of selling counterfeit sports jerseys, Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney's Office said Monday.
 
The indictment alleges that Brian Gore, 45, conspired with other individuals to import counterfeit NFL jerseys from China and sell them to the owner of a retail store in Roseville, who the U.S. Attorney’s Office refers to as “Co-conspirator A,” as well as to the general public.
 
Gore was allegedly involved in bringing the counterfeit goods to the United States between November 2009 and September 2012. During the same time, “Co-conspirator A” also allegedly held hundreds of items of counterfeit sportswear in his store, some of which was bought from Gore, according to the indictment.
 
In February 2010, Gore allegedly transported nearly 400 of the counterfeit NFL jerseys to Miami for the Super Bowl with the intention of selling them to the public. He also allegedly possessed two shipping receipts showing that packages were sent from China to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
 
“Trafficking in counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime,” Michael Netherland, a special agent with Homeland Security Investigations St. Paul, said in a statement. “Buying these items may appear at first to be a bargain, but when we take into account how the money it generates is often tied to organized crime or worse, we see that this ‘victimless crime’ harms us all in the long run.”

If convicted, Gore faces a possible maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $2 million fine. A federal district court judge would ultimately determine the sentence, if Gore is found guilty.