PORTLAND — An Oregon man was sentenced for selling thousands of counterfeit Nike Air Jordan sneakers over a multi-year period through his online retail business.
The Oregonian/OregonLive reports James Pepion, of Happy Valley, says he “got greedy” before being sentenced Wednesday to four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release for trafficking in counterfeit goods and money laundering.
Court records say Pepion initially acquired the limited-edition sneakers and sold them at significant premiums through his online retail business called Supplied Inc. Pepion would buy shoes from legitimate retailers using “runners” — typically homeless people in Portland paid cash to line up outside stores on the eve of a sneaker release.
Unable to keep up his supply, Pepion turned to overseas sellers and began selling imported counterfeit Nikes, earning $2.6 million from January 2012 through March 2015.
