The owner of jewelry shops in Miami and Hialeah was arrested after his stores were accused of selling large amounts of luxury counterfeit items.
Manuel DeJesus Beltran-Machado, 43, was arrested Wednesday for the sale of counterfeit labels over $20,000, an arrest report said.
Miami-Dade CorrectionsMiami-Dade Corrections
Manuel DeJesus Beltran-Machado
According to the report, Beltran-Machado is the owner of two Las Villas Jewelry stores accused of selling counterfeit jewelry of brands including Tiffany & Co., Gucci, Chanel, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Prada and Rolex.
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office started investigating after a brand investigator made two purchases at each location and the items were examined and found to be counterfeit, the report said.
Multiple undercover purchases were conducted at the stores where jewelry with luxury brand markings were sold for hundreds of dollars below retail price, the report said.
In one case, a deputy purchased a counterfeit Louis Vuitton ring and a counterfeit pair of Van Cleef & Arpels earrings with a total retail value of over $5,700 but paid about $350, the report said.
On Feb. 12, investigators executed search warrants at the jewelry stores.
At the Hialeah store, detectives documented 136 counterfeit jewelry pieces with luxury brand markings that if genuine would be worth over $894,000, the report said.
In the Miami store, there were 126 counterfeit jewelry pieces with a retail value of $939,895, bringing the total value of the items if real to $1,833,965, the report said.
Beltran-Machado surrendered with his attorney and was booked into jail. On Thursday, he appeared before a judge who set his bond at $5,000.