PHILADELPHIA – On the eve of a potentially season-defining game for the hometown Philadelphia Eagles against the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers seized nine counterfeit Patriots Super Bowl rings and two other counterfeit championship rings November 7 that were destined to, of all places, a local address.
Super Bowl ring.
If authentic, the Patriots rings and single Houston Astros and New York Yankees World Series rings would have had a manufacturer suggested retail price (MSRP) of $526,000, if authentic.
Officers initially examined the express air shipment from China October 15. It was destined to an address in Drexel Hill, Pa., and was manifested as “box,” with a value of $14. Officers suspected the rings to be counterfeit and detained the shipment.
CBP officers then worked with CBP’s Consumer Products and Mass Merchandising Centers for Excellence and Expertise, the agency’s trade experts, and verified through league and team trademark holders that the rings were counterfeit.
“Scammers and transnational criminal organizations take advantage of collectors and sports fans who desire to obtain a piece of sports history to line their pockets with illicit financial gains,” said Casey Durst, Director of Field Operations for CBP’s Baltimore Field Office. “Customs and Border Protection will continue to work closely with our trade and consumer safety partners to intercept counterfeit consumer goods that can harm American consumers and our nation’s economy, and steal revenue and brand integrity from U.S. businesses and trademark holders.”
CBP protects businesses and consumers every day through an aggressive Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) enforcement program. Importation of counterfeit merchandise can cause significant revenue loss, damage the U.S. economy, and threaten the health and safety of the American people.
On a typical day in 2018, CBP officers seized $3.7 million worth of products with IPR violations. Learn more about what CBP did during "A Typical Day" in 2018.
championship rings that, if authentic,
would value about $526,000.
In fiscal year (FY) 2018, the number of IPR seizures decreased by 333 seizures to 33,810 from 34,143 in FY 2017. The total estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of the seized goods, had they been genuine, increased to nearly $1.4 billion from over $1.2 billion in FY 2017. Read more 2018 IPR Enforcement Statistics.
As a result of CBP enforcement efforts, ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested 381 individuals, obtained 296 indictments, and received 260 convictions related to intellectual property crimes in 2018.
CBP's border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. Please visit CBP Ports of Entry to learn more about how CBP’s Office of Field Operations secures our nation’s borders.
Learn more about CBP at CBP.gov.