Man accused of selling counterfeit Nike merchandise arrested

A man suspected of selling counterfeit Nike merchandise has been arrested on a warrant for counterfeiting and money laundering.

On June 4, 2016 an undercover Indiana Excise Police officer went into the Michigan and Dunmoyer Market on Michigan Street to conduct a controlled buy of suspected counterfeit Nike products.

At the store, the officer spoke with Hussein Ali, who said he knew the Nike hats were not real, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The officer and Ali negotiated a price of $13 for one of the hats. The officer purchased the hat and left the store.

On June 17, 2016, the same officer returned to the store to conduct another undercover purchase of a Nike hat suspected to be counterfeit, according to the probable cause affidavit.

During this visit, the officer spoke with Ali who said the hat was $10. The officer purchased the hat and left the store.

On July 27, 2016, the officer went to the store to conduct a third undercover purchase of a Nike hat believed to be counterfeit, according to the probable cause affidavit.

The officer spoke with Ali who said the hat was $10. The officer purchased the hat and left the store.

The officer then took all of the suspected counterfeit merchandise to Kevin Read of Edward R. Kirby & Associates who is qualified to authenticate Nike products. Read  inspected the products and determined they were not authentic Nike products, according to the probable cause affidavit.

An arrest warrant was issued for Ali's arrest in November 2016.

Mishawaka Police arrested Ali on Wednesday. He has been charged with one count of counterfeiting and one count of money laundering. Both are level 6 felonies.

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