A Tabor City woman was arrested and charged after deputies seized nearly 190 counterfeit items.
A press release from the Columbus County Sheriff’s Office says the office’s Criminal Investigative Unit began an investigation after several citizen complaints about someone selling counterfeit items in Whiteville.
On August 20, investigators went to the public vehicle area of Big Lots in Whiteville after receiving an anonymous tip, according to the release. Investigators saw a woman, identified as Carroll Ann Barnes of Tabor City, meeting numerous people to exchange items. Investigators then approached Barnes at her vehicle and observed several totes and boxes of items inside of the vehicle. All of the items were seized by investigators for further investigation.
“The quantity of items in her possession exceeded what the average person would sell on a buy, sell, trade site,” the release says.
During an investigation, investigators learned that Barnes had an online business, where she received orders for items through a Facebook page, according to the release. The items on the page were represented as trademarked items such as Rainbow sandals, Beats headphones, Michael Kors purses, and Oakley sunglasses.
The CCSO says Barnes would advertise a specific “buy” or item with a closing date, the release states. The “buys” would run for about two weeks and have a minimum order quantity. If the minimum order quantity was met by the closing date, the CCSO says Barnes would then order the items from overseas. When the items arrived, Barnes reportedly met her customers in public parking lots in Tabor City, Whiteville, and Loris, South Carolina to deliver their purchases.
Customers prepaid for purchases using PayPal and would wait weeks for their packages to be delivered, according to the release. Barnes’ Facebook pages said purchases might take six to eight weeks to arrive.
The CCSO requested the assistance of the NC Department of the Secretary of State Anti-Counterfeiting Taskforce.
“After careful examination of each one of the over 190 seized items, it was determined that the items were indeed counterfeit,” the release says.
The taskforce determined the retail value of the seized items to exceed $18,500.
On Monday, investigators arrested Barnes for the criminal use of counterfeit trademarks, according to the release. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are pending. Barnes’ bond is set at $20,000 unsecured.