COUNTERFEIT GOODS SEIZED NEAR CAROWINDS

          Secretary of State Jim Miles announced today that investigators from his office, in cooperation with the York County Sheriff’s office, seized over $30,000 in counterfeit goods in a raid on Prime Time Wholesale Direct near Carowinds Monday afternoon.

Jerry Gannaway, owner of Prime Time Wholesale Direct, located at Crosswoods Mall on the Avenue of the Carolinas in Fort Mill, was arrested and charged with trafficking counterfeit goods.  Officers of the York County Sheriff’s office confiscated 259 pairs of counterfeit Oakley sunglasses and one counterfeit Oakley watch.

“Counterfeiters cheat South Carolinians in several ways,” said Miles.  “They sell us a fake product, which does not have the quality of the genuine, trademarked item.  They also take jobs and money away from legitimate retailers and manufacturers who hire workers for decent wages and provide a quality product.”

Miles said trademark enforcement protects our economy and praised the York County Sheriff’s office for their fine work on the trademark bust.

“These officers put forth a tremendous effort and handled the case professionally.  We’re honored to work with such an outstanding team of law enforcement officers,” Miles added.

For more information on trademark enforcement, visit the Secretary of State’s website at www.scsos.com.   For more information, contact Kay Maxwell at (803)245-6144.