July 15, 10

NEWS / Two Sentenced for Trafficking in Counterfeit Goods

PHILADELPHIA—Michael Katz, 58, of Plainsboro, NJ, and Alaa Allia Ahmed Mohamed, a/k/a “Alaa Ahmed Mohamed Abouelnagaa,” 44, of Brooklyn, NY, were both sentenced today for conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods and trafficking counterfeit goods, announced United States Attorney Zane David Memeger. Katz was sentenced to 12 months in prison; Mohamed was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The two were charged in an indictment that also charged Moussa Hamdan and others, including Hassan Hodroj, with attempting to provide material support to Hizballah in the form of approximately 1,200 Colt M4 Carbines (machine guns). In July 2008, Katz and Mohamed participated in the purchase and transportation of 1572 pairs of counterfeit Nike® shoes and 334 counterfeit Mitchell & Ness® sports jerseys—items with a total retail value of approximately $246,200.

In addition to the prison sentence, U.S. District Court Judge Stewart Dalzell ordered Katz to pay a fine in the amount of $1,000 and ordered Mohamed to pay a fine in the amount of $250.

The charges against Katz, Mohamed, and four conspirators, were filed in November 2009. Katz pleaded guilty March 4, 2010. Mohamed pleaded guilty April 9, 2010.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, the New Jersey State Police, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Secret Service, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Philadelphia Police Department, the Department of Commerce, Customs and Border Protection, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Federal Air Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, and the Department of State.

It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy Beam Winter and Stephen A. Miller, and National Security Division Counterterrorism Section Trial Attorneys Jolie F. Zimmerman and Mary Futcher.

http://philadelphia.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel10/ph071410.htm