417 Urban Trendz owner pleads guilty to selling counterfeit goods

Two local men indicted at the end of July for trafficking counterfeit goods pleaded guilty to selling counterfeit items at the Springfield store 417 Urban Trendz, according to a news release from Beth Phillips, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Brent Luna, 25, of Nixa, and Lukas Rivas, 21, of Springfield, pleaded guilty in separate hearings to selling counterfeit Nike shoes and other clothing items at Luna's store, which he opened after he was released from state prison in July 2008.

During a call recorded while Luna was incarcerated on an unrelated state offense, he indicated he had invested $75,000 in purchasing the shoes and other items from a supplier in China and referred to $29,000 worth of inventory stored in his garage, according to Luna's plea agreement.

The Chinese supplier wasn't named.

Luna ordered the shoes online in shipments of seven pairs, thereby avoiding custom declarations or paying custom duties. The shipments were sent to different residences labeled as gifts; Rivas received between 20 and 30 shipments of shoes at his residence, the release said.

Under the plea agreements, Luna and Rivas agreed to forfeit to the government more than 600 pairs of Nike shoes; 20 pairs of Timberland shoes; 45 National Football League and basketball jerseys; 67 Major League Baseball caps; dozens of designer-label jeans, shirts, belts, shoes, hoodies and other clothing items; and $3,448, according to the release.

Luna and Rivas could each be subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine of up to $2 million and an order of restitution, according to federal statutes. A sentencing hearing is to be scheduled after completion of a pre-sentence investigation by the U.S. Probation Office, the release said.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Randall Eggert and investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Springfield Police Department.[[In-content Ad]]