Fake Designer Goods Sellers in Downtown L.A. Ordered by Court to Stop it: Now You Know Where Not to Buy Counterfeit Goods

By Dennis Romero Wed., Jun. 8 2011 at 11:40 AM

Categories: Crime

For real.

Fake designer fashions and accessories downtown are a fixture. They've been there longer than most loft-dwellers. And while there have been occasional crackdowns, you pretty much count on being able to find three things downtown: Heroin, homeless addicts and counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags.

But today the L.A. City Attorney's office made a move to quash at least some of this crime.

It got a permanent injunction against to Fashion District purveyors of fine counterfeit crap, the office announced today.

The shops of Fernando Barrios and his wife, Vanessa Guerra, were told by the court to stop "selling, storing, or possessing any kind of counterfeit items at any location," according to a City Attorney's statement.

The shops were alleged to have had an inventory of 37,000 counterfeit items since 2005. Authorities told the pair to stop selling fake stuff five times, the City Attorney's office says.

The stores, Deportes Si Se Puede and Fernando Sport, are at the Santee Alley-adjacent addresses of 1325 S. Main St. and 112 E. Pico Blvd., City Attorney's spokesman Frank Mateljan told the Weekly.

The couple is also ordered to pay $50,000 in penalties and open their doors any time the law comes by to sniff around. If they sell fake stuff again they'll see a $100,000 fine under the order.

The Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC) claims that counterfeit goods cost the retail sector $2 billion in losses in one year alone.

Of course, what they don't tell you is that hundreds of thousands of people visit the Fashion District and Santee Alley specifically to buy fake crap they wouldn't otherwise purchase -- fueling an entire industry based on cheap Chinese imports. (How can that possibly be worth negative money?).

(We're always doubtful when it comes to studies about losses involving counterfeit and pirated items. They often assume a loss as a result of someone opting for a fake, $30 Louis Vuitton bag versus the real thing at four figures. Really? The cleaning lady was going to spend $5,000 on a bag but was just too tempted by the fake?).

Anyway, now we know where the only two stores near Santee Alley are that don't sell counterfeit goods. So you can avoid them.

[@dennisjromero/djromero@laweekly.com]

Tags:

City Attorney, counterfeit, downtown, fake goods, fashion district, Los Angeles, Santee Alley

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Mike Pan

I don't think louis vuitton and other high end retailers are losing money. Generally, these people buy fake stuff because they can't afford the real thing. So, there were no real money that's accounted for as losses. I, myself, will not buy fake stuff nor the real ones if I can't afford it. The economy is just bad, hence, the $2 billion loss....These fake sellers, though, help employ hundreds of people, legal or illegal immigrants. I would rather have them work for a buck or two than steal, rob or do real crimes. What do you think, Dennis?

Guest

Keep in mind these sellers don't pay business taxes which is 1) unfair to legit businesses who do pay and have to pass on higher costs to their customers, 2) illegal, and 3) means less money for the City to pay for parks, libraries, street repairs and public safety.

There is also increasing evidence that organized crime and gangs are profiting from counterfeit. Think about it before you buy it!

Downtowner

I agree with you, Thomas. It's bizarre to read the following in the LA Weekly:"...you pretty much count on being able to find three things downtown: Heroin, homeless addicts and counterfeit Louis Vuitton bags." "Really? The cleaning lady was going to spend $5,000 on a bag but was just too tempted by the fake?)."These sentences (and the article as a whole) are simply naive, not to mention insulting.

Dennis Romero

Downtowner, I'm aware of all the great things downtown. I wrote a cover story about its transformation in 2004. (Did you catch it and comment?). This was really about just one thin slice of a story. Don't take it as the last word on downtown.

It's kind of strange how these things work, but from experience, I'm fairly certain that if I would have written a yawner about how great downtown is with all its restaurants and nightlife and non-fake fashion no one would have commented. Every time I get comments like this they only prove that writing with a certain voice and attitude works.

FYI.

Downtowner

You're getting two people to comment who both take offense to your article. So, I'm not sure what's working here.I'm not saying you should glorify and praise downtown in each of your articles. But don't some of the sentences in your article reflect the perceptions of downtown that publications, especially the LA Weekly, should try to avoid?

Downtowner

Sure, but I don't think you're here to insult your readers either. Your article doesn't challenge, though it definitely prods.

Dennis Romero

Downtowner: Sorry if you took offense. But consider our view: We're not here to "avoid perceptions." We're here to prod and challenge and get people to read and comment. And yeah, getting a couple of people into a debate about it is a success in terms of readership.

Thomas Coleman

Actually, with the backing and assistance of legitimate clothing companies, law enforcement is quite active against sellers of counterfeit items in the Santee Alley area. And while there's no doubt lots of fake stuff to be pawed and purchased in and around Santee, many retailers like my workout partner sell only the real thing at discount prices that attract thousands more like myself who, unlike LAWeekly, aren't so intimidated and terrified by, or snooty about, the "neighborhood" and the "cleaning lady" that also shops there. Many of these retailers, like the Persians I know, managed to escape the horrors of their native lands and now seek to make an honest living selling genuine merch at a low price, like the made in the USA Crank Couture T I'm wearing in the photo here. Oh, and one more thing: like most everyone else, they would like to have a little respect, which is sorely lacking in the article here.

Dennis Romero

Thomas:

Hi. I recognize you from the gym.

No disrespect to the retailers. (I have family in the business too). The point is is that this is a drop in the bucket, and that the LAEDC's study, like others it has done, ignores the reality of the attraction and financial interaction in the Alley.

I'm assuming you're a fairly new reader: I've covered the enforcement efforts in the past.

-Dennis

Thomas Coleman

Hey Dennis: your lack of respect for the retailers (and everyone else it seems, your family included) is obvious from the article you wrote, and your response here is neither sincere nor respectful.

Dennis Romero

And please, man, don't tell me what's respectful and what's not when it comes to my family. That's not respectful to me.

Downtowner

This is a news article in the crime section, not the editorial section, right? Who, exactly, goes downtown to find heroin, homeless addicts, and fake designer goods? Most of us come downtown to live, to work, to eat at great restaurants, to drink at beautiful bars, to shop, to see movies, concerts, shows, go ice skating, etc., etc.Dennis, I'm sure you thought you were being clever - and your point stands that someone who is thinking about actually buying a $4000 purse is not going to come to Santee Alley to buy a fake one. Sure, that's fine. But your article is ignorant of the reality of this community, and your responses to Thomas are just plain arrogant.

Dennis Romero

Thomas:

It's not my job to be respectful -- far from it. Often it's to be irreverent. When I say there's a lot of fake crap in Santee Alley and environs, and that busting two moms and pops is a drop in the bucket, it's the absolute truth, and you know it.

My response to you was straight up.

I'm glad you're reading us, but if you don't like our vibe, there are plenty of other news outlets out there. I suggest you check them out.