South London DVD fraudster gets suspended sentence after council investigation
30 May 2017
A Bermondsey based business man who imported and sold counterfeit DVDs, and other items, on eBay and Amazon has been given a suspended jail sentence of 24 months after being convicted of fraud, trademarks offences and - in a first for Southwark’s Trading Standards team - money laundering.
The sentence was delivered this week at the Inner London Crown Court following a prosecution by Southwark Council.
Mr Okwong Samson Onwionoko (50) ran the illegal operation from his home address at Lucey Way in SE16. He pleaded guilty to offences relating to the supply of thousands of counterfeit DVDs, including Disney’s Frozen and box sets such as Supernatural.
A two-year long investigation by the council’s Trading Standards team found that between October 2013 and April 2015 a total of £151,000 had been fraudulently received. That included around £50,000 he took from customers without ever sending them their goods.
The fraud was initially discovered by film industry anti-piracy investigators FACT (the Federation Against Copyright Theft). The crimes were then reported to Southwark Council who led on the investigation.
The court heard that three test purchases were made by trading standard officers, and three searches were conducted at his home as well as one at a business unit in SE16. The searches revealed a well organized and highly profitable enterprise with Mr Onwionoko ordering the goods from China and then packaging them up at home for postage.
The investigation also found Mr Onwionoko ran multiple eBay and PayPal accounts using false details to try and avoid detection. In total some 736 counterfeit items were seized but his sales ran into the thousands.
In suspending Mr Onwionoko’s sentence for 24 months, His Honour Judge Davies QC gave him credit for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity. He was also ordered to carry out 120 hours community service. The council is now pursuing confiscation proceedings under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 with a view to recovering the criminal benefit obtained.
Councillor Barrie Hargrove, Southwark Cabinet Member for Communities and Safety said: "The seriousness of the sentence should prove as a warning that DVD piracy is a significant crime, not only duping thousands of customers, but depriving legitimate businesses of their trade. Southwark Council will not tolerate it and will prosecute anyone found to be committing it.
“I am pleased that thanks to the investigative skills of our trading standards team the business was eventually halted and any profits he made are likely be confiscated."
Anyone wishing to report the selling of counterfeit goods can tell trading standards in confidence or report them using the Crimestoppers service - telephone 0800 555 111
ENDS
Page last updated: 30 May 2017
