MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – A store owner was arrested this week on accusations that he was selling counterfeit NFL gear inside his northwest Miami-Dade business ahead of the Super Bowl.
Tyrone Greene, 57, of Miramar, was arrested Tuesday on charges of possessing counterfeit goods for the purpose of selling the merchandise.
According to his arrest report, detectives were conducting an area canvass for NFL counterfeit items when they came upon Greene’s store, Greene Dreams Shoe Repair, at 742 NW 62nd St.
Miami-Dade police said Greene had NFL replica shirts on display in front of the store.
Authorities said an NFL representative, who is an investigator for the NFL, MLB and NBA, joined officers inside the business and retrieved the following counterfeit items:
· 10 NBA-style jerseys
· 39 NBA-style shirts
· 6 NBA-style hats
· 3 NBA-style bags
· 4 NBA-style shorts
· 1 MLB-style hat
· 68 NFL-style shirts
· 13 NFL-style jerseys
· 38 NFL-style hats
· 11 NFL-style bags
Police said Greene provided written consent for authorities to search his stockroom in the rear of the store, at which time officers found 41 San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs hats, 41 Kansas City shirts and two NFL jerseys.
Authorities said the merchandise has an estimated retail value of $11,125.
Another man, Eric Clinksale, was also arrested this week on accusations that he was selling counterfeit goods out of a gas station at 4700 NW 21st Ave.
Days after Greene’s arrest, officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations announced the agencies had seized more than 176,000 counterfeit sports-related items this year. The items are worth an estimated total of $123 million.
The announcement of the seizures that were part of Operation Team Player were announced Thursday in Miami at a joint press conference with the NFL, HSI, CBP and the Miami-Dade Police Department.