Etowah Counterfeit arrest

Hoa Tran

A 43 year old Glencoe man has been arrested by Etowah county sheriffs deputies after allegedly selling counterfeit designer handbags at his nail salon business in east Gadsden.  Hoa Tran, was booked into the Etowah County Jail, charged with one count of theft of trademark and/or trade secret.  Sheriff Todd Entrekin said, authorities received a tip about Tran possibly selling counterfeit merchandise, including fake Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton and Tory Burch purses, from his business, prompting the sheriff's office to investigate.  A undercover investigator went to Tran's store and purchased a fake designer handbag, giving the sheriff's office and the district attorney's office enough evidence for a search warrant to be issued. After executing the warrant, law enforcement seized over 100 fake handbags and wallets from the location.  Tran's arrest comes less than two months after 12 people were arrested on similar charges at an area flea market, and Entrekin says his office will continue to crack down on these types of crimes