DoJ accuses government employee of trafficking counterfeit handbags

A  US Department of State employee and his wife have been charged with conspiring to traffic counterfeit goods into the country.

In a  statement Wednesday, December 18, the  Department of Justice (DoJ) said Gene Leroy Thompson, who was employed as an information programmes officer for the US embassy in Seoul, and his wife have since 2017 “knowingly and intentionally conspired and agreed with each other to intentionally traffic counterfeit goods, namely Vera Bradley handbags” into the US.

In April 2018,  Vera Bradley sent cease-and-desist letters to the couple’s alleged co-conspirators in Oregon, who were responsible for storing and shipping the counterfeit goods.

In an email, Zhang told Thompson that the brand was requesting that the couple “immediately cease and desist from offering for sale any Vera Bradley counterfeit products and destroy any violating products”.

Thompson replied: "Okay, I thought this would happen. Stop all shipment." Thompson then sent an email to Zhang stating, "Take all of the listing for VB down. VB has caught you."

The couple sold the bags through Poshmark, an online marketplace.

The DoJ said Thompson had used his State Department computer to create accounts on numerous e-commerce platforms, in addition to Poshmark. He did so from within a secure space within the Embassy designed to protect classified information.

Once Thompson created these accounts, Zhang took primary responsibility for operating the accounts, communicating with customers, and procuring merchandise to be stored in the District of Oregon, claimed the DoJ.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories like this sent straight to your inbox.