(Jim Dent – ABC40 File Photo)
BOSTON, Mass. (WGGB) – A Chicopee man who ran several local sports shops and is now facing federal charges of allegedly selling counterfeit sports merchandise has agreed to plead guilty, according to court records.
51-year-old James Dent has been charged with trafficking in counterfeit goods.
The agreement, which was submitted to U.S. District Court in Springfield, was signed by Deputy Chief of the U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division James Herbert, Dent, and Dent’s attorney, John Pucci.
Prosecutors allege that Dent sold counterfeit sports apparel between 2007 and 2012 from the National Hockey League, Major League Baseball, the National Football League, and the National Basketball Association at stores he owned in central and western Massachusetts.
Among the store in western Mass. included SportsZone at the Holyoke Mall, and Collectibles and Cards at the Eastfield Mall in Springfield, Hampshire Mall in Hadley and the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough.
Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted raids and executed search warrants on Dent’s stores in what the agency called “an ongoing investigation regarding intellectual property theft.”
In the agreement, Dent and his lawyer have agreed to terms where Dent will waive indictment and plead guilty to the charges.
The document states, “Defendant expressly and unequivocally admits that he committed the crimes charged in the information, did so knowingly and intentionally, and is in fact guilty of these offenses.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleges in court papers that Dent purchased the counterfeit apparel from companies in China and that he “mixed counterfeit and genuine apparel together in his store, and sold the items for substantially the same price, in an attempt to deceive the customers into believing that the counterfeit apparel was genuine.”
Just a month before, during a story on Super Bowl merchandise, Dent told ABC40 that it would be hard for customers to tell the difference between real and fake merchandise and that cheaper merchandise would typically cost more than the real products.
The sentencing recommendation that all parties agreed to includes some jail time at or below sentencing guidelines, a $6,000 fine, $37,475.21 in restitution, “a forfeiture or money judgement…of $200,000″ and 36 months of supervised release.
The International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition says that counterfeit merchandise costs companies $500 billion each year.
The plea agreement is subject to approval by the court and Judge Michael Ponsor. A plea hearing is scheduled for May 8.
haha sucks for him i never shop there anyways
Lol dirt bag!!! My son loves going threw the stores too!!
When will the fragrance guy from the Holyoke mall get a visit?
He finally got caught!!!
Nothing will happen to him. He’ll roll over like a ***** and sell out other people and pay a fine.
If the stuff is fake and made in china or elsewhere then why does the USA let it be sold to Americans . I do not agree that they tried to sell anything as authentic that wasn’t. Prices vary on this type of stuff and I don’t ever recall this stuff being sold as authentic sports stuff. People remember we are innocent until proved guilty let the prosecutors present what they have before forming negitive comments. We all have bought things from other country’s on eBay etc.
Ron, seriously, are you playing with a full deck? This is not a “small problem”. It costs all of us money. You also stated that you don’t recall his merchandise as being marketed as authentic? Listen to the taped interview of him above, stating that this kind of fraud costs legit guys like him (ha ha) money because you can buy unlicensed junk at any bodega for 1/4 the price.
I was at Eastfield Mall a several months ago and the store was closed while police were inside sorting through the merchandise. At the time I didn’t realize what was going on. Now I do.
I was at Eastfield Mall last year when a raid was going on at the collectibles store. At the time I didn’t realize what was going on. Now I do.
****er i bought stuff ftom there
He bought items with certificates and didn’t know he was reselling some fake stuff. If you buy something with a certificate of authentication you assume its legit. He got shafted and wasn’t the one doing the shafting. Give the guy a break.
The guy pleaded guilty. Case closed.
Looks like he was shafting people after all
Brian, I half agree with you. If he didn’t already admit to “knowingly and intentionally” deceiving his customers, you’d have a valid point. But apparently he WAS the one doing the “shafting”.
Do people read the story before posting. Innocent until proven guilty? He is going to plead guilty. Nothing will happen to him? The government and defendent have agreed to jail time and 1000′s in fines and supervised release after jail time. Read the article!!
You’re right Carl. He will likely lose the stores and his rental property in Chicopee, as well as land he owns on River Rd in South Hadley, and Portland st in Holyoke.
He lives in Holyoke on Portland st, and has rental property in Chicopee. See “Dent” at Whitepages.com He lived there in Holyoke for 20 years.
He also owns property on River Rd in South Hadley. His “retirement property”.
The Mary Dent listed on Portland st is his wife.
what does mary have to do with this or the properties they own? looks like your doing pointless research bagpip and your looking at old records
Well “Pete” or Henry, he’s going to pay over $200,000 in fines, so he can kiss those properties goodbye. I also don’t like seeing a misleading headline when the man has lived on Portland st in HOLYOKE not Chicopee, for 20 years.
Oh and Petemoe, this guy has been a dishonest crook since he started in the carpet business, then as his carpet business died from poor workmanship he moved on to other ways of stealing. He was quite a pot dealer in his younger days, robbing his customers with sand and metal shavings added to make bags weigh. He’s been a thief since day one, and is getting his payback now.
so does that mean your a drug user or use to be? exactly why your information is not creditable
Boy you are an idiot, aren’t you? Because someone smoked pot in their teens, their opinion is useless? You have to be his son or brother, because you take the side of an admitted and convicted thief, con-man, and former drug DEALER over a customer? So he’s a good guy because he sold drugs, and I’m useless because I bought pot from the guy?
Better get to bed sonny, your mom Mary might catch you.
Agree let it be nobody is perfect this is a small problem compared to all the other issues in the world come on people think of our country and our serviceman and women lets start a new story,like thanking all who serve or all we have lost or are missing really lets get real we all have a Skelton or two in the closet remember only God can judge in the end. Ps in closing thanks to all who serve this country god bless the U S A
Thank you ron god bless our service men
Ron, you are another idiot, turning a post about a thief get turned into a post about the hired murders, and rapists we have in Iraq AND Afghanistan? They are scum who piss on dead bodies, rape and murder innocent woman and children. You are both idiots.
no one said what he did was right at all your just assuming and making your case worse no relation to the man or family just seen the store at the hadley mall
You would have to be related to him to defend a crook. He cheated his way thru life, and just by seeing his store in Hadley, you know he’s a great guy you will stand up for. Pretty stupid thing to say. You obviously know him, or are related.