U.K. Jeweler Sentenced for Selling Counterfeit Watches
By Rob Bates | April 05, 2024
"A jeweler in the London borough of Tower Hamlets has been given a 20-month jail sentence for selling nearly a million dollars worth of luxury watches.
Baldeep Singh Arora was sentenced on Jan. 25 for selling £700,000 (about $880,000) worth of counterfeit Rolex, Omega, Cartier, and Hublot timepieces, according to a government statement.
During a 2017 inspection, Tower Hamlets Council officers found 132 counterfeit watches as well as straps, boxes, and bags, at Arora’s store, 5 Star Trading.
The store owner attempted to leave with a box of watches during the inspection but was prevented from doing so, the statement said.
It also said an investigation has been launched into the store’s finances, which means Arora could be ordered to pay back any money he has made from illegally selling the watches.
Arora had previously been prosecuted by Tower Hamlets Trading Standards Service for similar offenses in 2003 and 2008.
“Selling counterfeit goods is not a victimless crime,” said Tower Hamlets executive mayor, Lutfur Rahman, in the statement. “It takes money away from legitimate businesses, and the faked items are usually lower quality and can be unsafe. ... "
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