By Nathan Duke
A 43-year-old Long Island resident who owns an auto parts store in Long Island City was convicted of trademark counterfeiting after he sold fake items labeled as authentic Ford Motor Company parts, the Queens district attorney said.
Mordekhay Levy, of 455 Hungry Harbor Road in North Woodmere, L.I., was convicted May 14 of two counts of trademark counterfeiting and faces up to four years in prison on each count, Queens DA Richard Brown said. Queens Supreme Court Justice Arthur Cooperman, who presided over Levy's eight-day jury trial, set sentencing for June 27, the DA said.
Levy was the owner of Black and Yellow Auto Parts Inc., which is still open, at 5-35 54th Ave. in Long Island City, Brown said.
“Trademark counterfeiting is neither a victimless nor harmless crime,” the DA said. “Operations such as that run by the defendant fuel an underground economy. They are cash businesses that pay no taxes and rip off both the customer and the industry by foisting inferior products into the marketplace.”
Brown said the sale of counterfeit parts, which typically come from outside the United States, results in the loss of American jobs and steals revenue from manufacturers.
Detectives authorized a court-authorized search warrant in October 2005 at Levy's company, where they recovered more than $200,000 in cash and four truckloads of fake automobile parts that had been packaged, labeled and distributed as official Ford Motor Company manufacturer-quality replacement parts, Brown said.
Counterfeit parts discovered at the business included intake manifolds, sway bars, brake pads and rotors, fuel and water pumps, master cylinders, grille assemblies, taillights and mirrors, the DA said.
Hundreds of additional counterfeit Ford Motor Company parts were seized at Black and Yellow Auto Parts by law enforcement authorities during a second court-authorized raid in July 2006, Brown said.
Reach reporter Nathan Duke by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 156.
