FLEA MARKET FAKES IN BONITA SPRINGS, FLORIDA

Two vendors at the Flamingo Island Flea Market in Bonita Springs in Florida have been charged with selling counterfeit goods.

Jong Ho Lee, 58, of Coral Springs, and Jesus Enrique Penalvar, 46, of Fort Myers, were charged during the weekend following an investigation into the business practices of Lee's Watches and 5th Avenue Fragrance.

It wasn't the first time Lee has been arrested on charges of selling counterfeit goods. He was arrested in December 2007 on the same charges, according to the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

Since that time, investigators have been monitoring his business.

On Feb. 14, an undercover investigator with A Action Investigations & Security a company that specializes in trademark and brand protection purchased an alleged Louis Vuitton wallet from Lee's wife, Jung Hee Lee, 46.

After purchasing the wallet, the investigator sent it to the Louis Vuitton Co. for analysis. The company then turned over the wallet to the Lee County Sheriff's Office declaring that it was indeed a bogus wallet.

The following week, sheriff's investigators conducted several more purchases, including an alleged Coach bag and Louis Vuitton and Burberry wallets all of which turned out to be phonies.

Expanding their investigation, detectives then purchased bags labeled Chanel and Prada from Fifth Avenue Fragrance operator Penalvar. Both bags were also counterfeit.

A search of the businesses later yielded fake designer goods with Louis Vuitton, Prada, Burberry, Gucci, Kate Spade, Chanel, Coach and Rolex labels.

All the items seized were counterfeit items and not "knock offs," which are copies patterned after the originals but not labeled as such. Knock offs are legal to sell, but counterfeit items are illegal to display, sell or possess.

The contraband seized from Fifth Avenue Fragrance was estimated to be in excess of $1 million while Lee's Watches had contraband exceeding $1.7 million