Miami police said a father and his son had $3 million worth of fake designer products in their downtown business

MIAMI: According to authorities, designer labels sold out of a storefront in downtown Miami included Prada, Cartier, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton. Nevertheless, investigators claimed that even though the high-end products had those labels, they were all fake. 

This prompted Homeland Security Investigations, Miami-Dade police, and Miami police to launch an undercover operation and apprehend the father-son founders of the company, according to arrest reports. Authorities stated that they had found counterfeit goods valued at almost $3 million.

Giovanni Tummolillo Sr., 72, of North Bay Village, was taken into custody by the authorities on Tuesday at Miami International Airport. On August 23, Giovanni Tummolillo Jr., 40, of El Portal, was taken into custody by the police.

Fake designer goods

Their company, Leather Goods LLC, which is housed in the historic Ingraham Building at 25 SE Second Ave., was the subject of an investigation that started in March. “One specific individual” inside the group “provided information that counterfeit merchandise was being sold at the business,” according to the police.

Authorities claimed to have carried out controlled purchases of fake designer goods, handbags, and fancy jewelry from the Tummolillos using an undercover informant.

“The goods that are being sold appeared to be associated with well-known luxury brands, including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, Gucci, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, and Prada, YSL, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, and Tiffany, to name a few,” police wrote. “To any ordinary and prudent person, these copies looked identical to any of the real products.”

Police stated that the products being sold “seemed to be associated with well-known luxury brands, including, to name a few, Prada, YSL, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, Tiffany, and Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Fendi, Hermes, Gucci, Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels.” “These copies looked just like any real product to any reasonable and observant person.”

Tummolillo Sr. Being jailed

Authorities said that on August 23, they carried out a search warrant at the company and took the $3 million worth of goods. According to the police reports, “manufacturing equipment and merchandise were discovered and identified by (a) trademark representative, who stated that those items are used to make counterfeit merchandise.”

Tummolillo Jr. would be taken into custody by Miami police in the Omni section of the city, at Northeast First Avenue and 16th Street. Later on Tuesday, they would capture his father at MIA. The purpose of Tummolillo Sr.’s attempted flight and its destination were not disclosed by the police.

Tummolillo Sr. was being jailed as of Wednesday on a $12,500 bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center. His son posted bond in the days after his arrest, according to court documents; his booking photo from Miami-Dade jail was not immediately accessible.