Metro

Businessman sentenced for counterfeit ‘Nike’ scam

A New Jersey businessman who took part in an international conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit goods including Nike sneakers was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a day in federal prison.

Aref Abuhadba, 50, of Totowa, also will have to serve two years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in May.

Prosecutors say that from 2003 to 2010, Abuhadba and others conspired to import counterfeit Nikes and counterfeit Walt Disney-brand comforters and blankets from China for resale in the United States.

One of Abuhadba’s co-conspirators was a broker who lived in China and acted as a middleman between the manufacturers and Abuhadba.

The broker purchased the counterfeit goods from factories and arranged for their shipment to various US ports.