(The following is a press release from the Mississippi Attorney General’s office.)

 

Jackson, MS—A Bassfield resident is going to prison for selling counterfeit merchandise, announced Attorney General Jim Hood today.

Willie Lorenzo Greer, 61, of Bassfield, pleaded guilty to one count of Felony Sale of Counterfeit Goods Monday in Marion County Circuit Court before Judge Anthony Mazingo. Greer admitted to selling counterfeit designer handbags to Investigators with the Attorney General’s office.  As a result, Judge Mazingo sentenced the defendant to  five years in the custody of the Mississippi Department of Corrections with four years suspended, one to serve, followed by three years of post-release supervision.

“The sale of counterfeit goods not only hurts American businesses and jobs, but it also provides funding for gangs and overseas terrorist organizations,” said Attorney General Hood.

“Additionally, some counterfeit items are dangerous. For example, counterfeited UL approval stamps on curling and straightening irons can cause house fires, and counterfeit drugs and contact lenses can injure people.

We all have a moral obligation to try to buy legal products.  My rule of thumb is that if something is so cheap that it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

The Attorney General’s Office tries to help people identify counterfeit products.  “A Consumer’s Guide to Counterfeit Products”  can be viewed or downloaded at www.agjimhood.com.  From the main page, click on the “media center” link, then “publications”.   More information can also be found at the Mississippi Intellectual Property Crime Center website, created by the Attorney General, at http://mipcc.ago.state.ms.us.