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Editors word: This story was up to date at 4:30 p.m. June 7, 2024, after police revised the worth of the objects from $1 million to $2 million.
A Hypoluxo girl has been charged with promoting counterfeit luxurious items value roughly $2 million at two jewellery shops she owns in Palm Seashore.
Olena Austin, 52, was arrested Thursday following an investigation by city police that lasted greater than six months, in accordance with a possible trigger affidavit.
Austin, who owns Blesk Jewellery at 350 S. County Street and 313 Value Ave., was charged with one depend of promoting or providing on the market counterfeit items or companies for greater than $20,000. She was arrested at her South County Street retailer, which had a ‘closed’ signal posted within the window Friday.
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Police alleged Austin offered counterfeit clothes and jewellery bearing the model names of Chanel, Pucci, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, Rolex, Versace and Bottega Veneta. She was launched Friday on a $50,000 surety bond.
“The Palm Seashore Police Division has a detailed relationship with our vibrant and storied enterprise neighborhood, so once we had been alerted to counterfeit gross sales by Blesk, we took it significantly,” division spokesman Capt. Will Rothrock advised the Each day Information. “This isn’t a victimless crime. Crimes reminiscent of this one make precise impacts on our respectable native companies and threaten to mar the hard-earned fame of the city’s retail neighborhood.”
Via its Organized Crime, Vice and Narcotics Unit, Palm Seashore Police initiated “Operation Value-Much less” in October 2023 after receiving data from the FBI associated to the continued sale of counterfeit clothes and jewellery from each Blesk Jewellery areas, in accordance with the affidavit.
In November, an undercover detective entered the Blesk location on South County Street and noticed two units of stud earrings that resembled the Chanel emblem in addition to articles of clothes that carried white tags with black lettering that learn “Pucci.”
The detective requested the gross sales affiliate if the clothes was “actual Pucci,” and the response was affirmative. The detective went on to purchase a Pucci multicolored shirt.
On June 4, a Pucci consultant confirmed the shirt was counterfeit.
On Could 23, a detective performing in an undercover capability entered the Blesk retailer on Value Avenue and was advised by Austin that objects offered within the retailer had been “closely influenced” designs however not genuine, in accordance with the affidavit.
Austin directed the detective to a pair of Chanel-inspired earrings that had been represented as genuine 14-karat gold. The officer agreed to purchase the earrings for $694, and was issued a handwritten receipt for “CC 14k gold earrings studs.”
On Could 29, a Chanel consultant confirmed the earrings had been counterfeit.
On Could 30, an undercover detective entered the Blesk retailer on South County Street and spoke to Austin, who voluntarily retrieved a jewellery show case containing four-clover-style jewellery within the form of things designed by Van Cleef & Arpels. The objects had been retrieved from the rear of the shop and weren’t on show, in accordance with the affidavit.
The detective purchased a four-clover Van Cleef-style bracelet and was issued a handwritten receipt. On June 3, a Van Cleef & Arpels consultant confirmed the bracelet was counterfeit.
Search warrants for each shops had been obtained Tuesday and executed two days later. Tons of of counterfeit objects from each shops had been recognized with the help of model representatives, in accordance with the affidavit.
The worth of the seized counterfeited merchandise was estimated at roughly $2 million, police stated. Moreover, roughly $4,294.33 in U.S. forex was seized as proceeds from the sale of the merchandise.
Jodie Wagner is a journalist on the Palm Beach Daily News, a part of the USA TODAY Florida Community. You may attain her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.
This text initially appeared on Palm Seashore Each day Information: Palm Beach jewelry store owner arrested on counterfeiting charge
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