HOUSTON – A man has been charged with trademark counterfeiting after investigators say they discovered more than two dozen counterfeit Apple products worth $20,000 in the back of a stolen car during a traffic stop.
The Harris County Precinct 5 Constable’s Office says deputies pulled over a stolen Toyota Camry on Richmond Avenue near Greenridge Drive around 3 a.m. on March 29.
Deputies discovered five iPads, 11 Apple watches and 13 AirPods worth more than $20,000. Conelle Davis, 44, was arrested and charged with felony counts of counterfeit trademarking.
“I wouldn’t be able to spot it just off the naked eye,” said Alima Bangura.
“I mean, it looks pretty legit,” added Lauren from Montrose. “I might be wrong. I think the plastic wrap looks fake.”
“Upon further examination, it was discovered many of the items had identical serial numbers and contained counterfeit products which were inconsistent with the labels on the boxes in which they were packaged,” the constable’s office said.
A spokesperson for the Harris County Precinct Five Constable’s Office says that the packages were legit and so were the Apple products inside. But the tech inside was different than what was being advertised. For example, a box for a new iPad Pro might have an older model, a used product or even a broken product.
“I haven’t seen this before,” said tech expert Dennis Underwood, the CEO of CyberCrucible. “It’s really interesting because just about every one example you can give to say, ‘Oh, this is how you check for a counterfeit.’ The counterfeiters and the people who swap out devices, they read the same blog post, they read the same how-to and so really, it’s not just one thing you need to look for. It’s a combination of things.”
The constable’s office says Davis has a long history of such crimes with two arrests on trademark counterfeiting in Harris County and several other arrests on similar charges elsewhere.
All the counterfeit devices were seized as evidence, according to the constable’s office.
“If you want to be absolutely safe, if you’re buying a gift for your partner or whatever, just go to the store. It’s not worth the hassle,” Underwood said.