NYC man charged in counterfeit sales bust of Nintendo, Pokémon Go products on Amazon

Man arrested for allegedly selling fake Nintendo products

A man has been arrested for allegedly selling more than $2 million in counterfeit Nintendo products. FOX 5 NY's Jodi Goldberg has more.

NEW YORK - In the world of Nintendo, a chase usually ends with a checkered flag on a rainbow road. But for one New York man, the race to riches has ended not in a MarioKart, but in the back of a police car.

A not-so-Super Mario scheme

What we know:

Prosecutors are investigating what they're calling a "small but sophisticated" operation after a man was arrested for allegedly selling hundreds of thousands of counterfeit electronics through Amazon. The case was brought to authorities' attention by Amazon itself, which had received numerous customer complaints about the products.

Isaac Lapidus, a 34-year-old from Lawrence, was arrested and arraigned on Wednesday. Prosecutors allege that he sold hundreds of thousands of fake Nintendo and Pokémon Go accessories, including Switch docking stations, docking station adapters and Pokémon Go Plus accessories. 

According to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, the products were imported from China and the Philippines and stored in an Island Park warehouse before being shipped to unsuspecting buyers. Sales from the operation totaled more than $2 million.

Operation Counterfeit: Game over

What they're saying:

According to Jake Marquina, a corporate trainer from PayMore Electronics, a major red flag for consumers is that counterfeit items often use similar packaging to the real thing, but the difference in quality is regularly evident.

Another indicator is the price, which may be just a few dollars less than the authentic item, but still too good to be true. Prosecutors and experts say paying attention to the logo and the seller's storefront can help consumers identify fake products.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said the case was brought to her office by Amazon due to the high number of complaints. Donnelly noted that one of the primary concerns with counterfeit electronics is the potential danger to consumers, as they could cause fires in people’s homes.

Lapidus can face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He has been released with an ankle monitoring device and is due back in court on September 18.