Counterfeit NFL and NHL jerseys as well as Nike sports apparel are at the heart of a federal indictment against six Minnesotans, including three members of a Long Prairie family.
The six are charged with one count of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods, the U.S. attorney's office said in a statement late Thursday.
Charles Freddie Thompson, 40, allegedly got the clothing from sources in China, paying more than $97,000 for it from late 2007 to 2009, as well as recruiting others to pay in an attempt to avoid detection, according to the attorney's office.
Thompson, of Long Prairie, also allegedly was behind the shipment of the apparel to Minnesota, using properties he owned and controlled. In November, Thompson had about 3,000 counterfeit items at his home, the U.S. attorney's office said.
Thompson's wife, Patricia, and his father, Darrell, 67, also are charged in the case, allegedly accepting deliveries of goods. Also Patricia Thompson, 38, is accused of wiring $51,975 in 21 payments.
Finally, Thompson allegedly sold the goods, including to three people intending to sell them again to customers. Those three are the last to be indicted in the case: William C. Baaken, 66, of Plymouth; Robert Antony Ingebretson, 49, of Alexandria, Minn., and James William Braun Jr., 41, of Milaca.
VINCE TUSS
