City Attorney Mike Feuer today announced his office has secured a permanent injunction banning two chronic counterfeit merchants, from returning to the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles. The defendants were also assessed a $26,245,000 penalty, the largest counterfeiting judgment in the City's history.

"Counterfeiting is highly corrosive to our community, victimizing the consumer and legitimate businesses as well as endangering public safety," said City Attorney Mike Feuer. Last Fall Feuer secured injunctions in two separate Fashion District counterfeit cases with a total of $6.9 million in penalties.

In his order, Superior Court Judge Richard Rico prohibited Falcon and Garcia from returning to the Fashion District of Downtown Los Angeles, specifically 9th Street to the north, 16th Street to the south, San Pedro to the east and Broadway to the west. Additional restrictions also prohibit the defendants from operating any business in California related to the manufacture, sale or storage of goods commonly counterfeited including: clothing, related apparel, shoes, hats bags, electronics, pharmaceuticals or software.

Falcon and Garcia previously operated T.J. Accessories, a clothing business at 310 E. Olympic Avenue. Undercover investigations by the LAPD in coordination with the FBI resulted in the recovery of more than 10,498 counterfeit apparel and related items. The court assessed the maximum civil penalty of $2,500 for each of the counterfeit items recovered from the store.

The defendants were previously convicted of selling counterfeit goods on five separate occasions and given nine cease and desist letters advising them to stop selling counterfeit goods.

Deputy City Attorney Kevin A. Gilligan of the City Attorney's Counterfeit Abatement Prosecution Program successfully prosecuted the case. Funding for the counterfeit abatement prosecutor is provided by a grant from the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance.