A city businessman was indicted on a total of 49 separate counts, accusing him of possessing thousands of dollars in counterfeit trademark items, stolen property and weapons, the Schenectady County District Attorney’s Office said today.
Lawrence Farfield, age not immediately available, is also accused of failing to properly pay employees or accurately report salaries to the state Department of Labor.
The indictments are connected to activities at businesses on Chrisler Avenue, at least one of which has since shutdown.
Farfield is accused of possessing more than $100,000 in counterfeit trademark items at American Wear, 1702 Chrisler Ave., in February. The items included counterfeit Nike, Coach, Chanel, Dooney & Bourke, Tiffany, Louis Vuitton and UGG.
He is also accused of possessing those items at a Rotterdam storage company and of having more than 1,000 counterfeit North Face products at Imaginations, also at 1702 Chrysler Ave.
The weapons were eight metal knuckles at American Wear, along with two stun guns. Seven more stun guns were found at the storage company, according to the indictments. Stolen merchandise was also found at American Wear and Imaginations, according to the allegations.
In all, Farfield faces a total of 43 felony counts and six misdemeanors.
The investigation was a joint effort of the state police, Schenectady and Rotterdam police departments, state Department of Labor, state Department of Taxation and Finance, state Insurance Frauds Bureau and state Workers’ Compensation Inspector General’s Office.
Officials also credited prosecutor Katie McCutcheon and bureau chief Jennifer Assini for developing the evidence and criminal theories, presenting them to the grand jury. McCutcheon is the district attorney’s Crimes Against Revenue Program prosecutor. Her position is funded through a state grant targeting revenue crimes.
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