Whatcom woman indicted for selling these counterfeit goods
Kara Suneva Allen of Ferndale has been indicted by a federal grand jury for multiple counts of trafficking in counterfeit goods, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.
The 42-year-old Ferndale woman, who is also known as Kara Suneva Mitchell, is scheduled to appear for arraignment on the indictment on June 9.
Allen operated ‘Keepin Up With Kara’ LLC from a warehouse in Ferndale, according to case records cited in the news release. “A website associated with the business advertised 467 different items for sale that appeared to be products made by Adidas, Burberry, Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, Fendi, Gucci, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, MCM, Nike, Prada, Saint Laurent, Tiffany & Co., Tory Burch, and UGG. All the products were priced substantially below the suggested retail price for the genuine items.”
According to the news release, an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office revealed that in August and September 2021, three shipments destined for Allen and her company were seized from the mail in Oakland, California.
The shipments, which originated in China and Hong Kong, contained a wide variety of counterfeit goods, including handbags, wallets and jewelry, according to the news release.
Allen was notified of these seizures, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but never asked to have the goods in the shipments released. “An analysis of shipping records revealed that between September 2021 and March 2022, approximately 46 shipments from China and Hong Kong had been sent to the Ferndale warehouse where ‘Keepin Up With Kara’ operated.”
An undercover agent made online purchases from the company’s website, according to the news release. In one instance, an agent purchased a Louis Vuitton-branded handbag for $110. The suggested retail price for that specific authentic Louis Vuitton handbag is $1,690.00 and a Louis Vuitton representative confirmed the handbag purchased from the website was counterfeit.
Law enforcement executed warrants for Allen’s business, home and vehicle on May 2 and “large quantities of counterfeit merchandise were seized.”
Trafficking in counterfeit goods is punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $2,000,000 fine.
