A Los Angeles County man is facing sentencing Friday for his role in a scheme to smuggle as much as $200 million worth of counterfeit products into the United States through the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex.
Daniel Hoffman, 43, of Hacienda Heights, was convicted in October 2025 of conspiracy to commit smuggling, two counts of unlawful removal of a custom seal and two counts of smuggling relating to two shipping containers.
Hoffman was one of nine people indicted in Los Angeles federal court in December 2024 and charged with working in the supply chain for a group that coordinated the shipping and transportation of counterfeit shoes, perfume, luxury handbags and watches into the U.S. from China.
The indictment states that containers slated for secondary inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection were transported to warehouses or other locations controlled by the defendants. Co-conspirators broke the security seals on the containers and removed the contraband, then placed counterfeit seals on the containers, which were then returned for inspection.
Seven of the defendants — Dong Lin, Hexi Wang, Jin Liu, Jesse Rosales, Galvin Liufu, Marck Gomez and Andy Perez — have pleaded guilty to federal charges. Gomez was sentenced in September 2025 to two years in prison and ordered to pay $4.1 million in restitution. The others are awaiting sentencing.
The group’s alleged leader, Weijun Zheng, 57, of Diamond Bar, remains a fugitive, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The defendants worked as logistics executives, warehouse owners and truck drivers.
Evidence showed Hoffman was involved in transporting shipping containers with counterfeit goods from the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex to warehouses controlled by the ring’s members.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, more than $130 million in goods — including $20 million worth of counterfeit shoes and other clothing, luxury handbags, watches, and perfume from a single warehouse — were seized.
The 15-count indictment said the smuggling took place from August 2023 through June 2024. Charges include conspiracy, smuggling and breaking customs seals.
“It was a team of CBP agriculture specialists assigned to the Los Angeles/Long Beach seaport who in 2023, during a routine examination of a container, made the initial discovery,” Cheryl Davies, CBP director of field operations in Los Angeles, said in a statement when charges were filed. “This case attests to their unwavering vigilance, utmost professionalism, and keen focus in protecting the integrity of lawful trade, a key component of our critical national security mission.”