Owner of a Lauderhill store detained after $1.6 million worth of fake high-end jewelry was found: Cops

LAUDERHILL: The owner of a jewelry shop in Lauderhill is facing charges after police seized more than $1.6 million worth of counterfeit luxury products from her store, officials said. An arrest report and jail records said that Ok Yon So, 71, was taken into custody on Monday on suspicion of selling or offering for sale counterfeit items. 

According to the report, Sharon Jewelry at Lauderhill Mall is owned by Davie. Authorities discovered in December that Sharon Jewelry was selling fake Chenel jewelry when a Chanel investigator visited the establishment and paid $128.40 for a $100 Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and $40 in earrings.

When questioned how much the goods would have cost if they were real, the salesperson said they were replicas and estimated that the cost was about $10,000, according to the report. An attorney for Van Cleef & Arpels stated that a genuine necklace has a suggested retail price of $8,400, while the earrings had a suggested retail price of $6,400.

Several goods and jewelry were found during investigation

The investigator verified the Van Cleef & Arpels products purchased were counterfeit. According to the report, the Chanel investigator had already contacted Sharon Jewelry and So with a cease and desist on behalf of Chanel, requesting that they halt selling any goods bearing the Chanel logo. According to the investigation, So refused to willingly turn in the goods bearing Chanel branding at the time.

Posing as a customer, an undercover officer visited Sharon Jewelry in January and discovered several counterfeit goods, including a $25 Chanel pendant, $99 Chanel earrings, a $225 14kt Chanel ring, a $625 10kt Chanel bangle, a $35 Van Cleef & Arpels ring, and a $840 Van Cleef & Arpels set that included earrings, a bracelet, and a necklace. Although a real pair of Chanel earrings would normally retail for approximately $550, the ones I bought for $49 were not authentic. Chanel subsequently acknowledged that the earrings were fake.

In February, an undercover officer again went to Sharon Jewelry and Chanel earrings were acquired for $39 despite a genuine pair’s value of $550, the warrant claimed. Furthermore, it was discovered that the earrings were fake. According to the report, a search warrant was issued at Sharon Jewelry on March 13, resulting in the seizure of 246 suspected counterfeit jewelry items and $20,358 in cash.

In an interview with investigators, So reportedly acknowledged peddling phony jewels. According to the report, the jewelry that was seized included pieces from Chanel, Christian Dior, Warner Brother, Versace, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci. If it had been genuine, the suggested retail price of the jewelry would have been $1,617,367.