PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero announced that Dimitre Hadjiev, 41, of Upper Darby, PA, was convicted at trial of charges including trafficking in counterfeit goods and financial fraud offenses related to his sale of counterfeit luxury wristwatches.
In September 2019, the defendant was charged by Indictment with a number of charges stemming from his scheme to sell counterfeit Rolex watches and watches with counterfeit Rolex parts. Evidence presented at trial showed that, since at least 2014, Hadjiev operated a jewelry store on the 300 block of South Street in Philadelphia, out of which he sold and customized watches and other jewelry. An investigation by the IRS and FBI revealed that Hadjiev was knowingly buying and selling counterfeit Rolex watches and customizing Rolex watches with counterfeit Rolex parts. Also, a review of the defendant’s bank records showed that he structured deposits from his store sales to avoid activating his banks’ reporting requirements and failed to make required reports for cash sales of more than $10,000. In total, amount of money involved in the defendant’s illegal scheme is more than $750,000.
“The defendant trafficked in counterfeit merchandise and structured his deposits to conceal the cash flowing into his jewelry business,” said U.S. Attorney Romero. “This Office and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting consumers from unknowingly purchasing phony merchandise, and to holding defendants accountable for their greed.”
“Dimitre Hadjiev’s store wasn’t a legitimate business – it was a front for fraud,” said Jacqueline Maguire, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Philadelphia Division. “The FBI and our partners are working hard to crack down on crooked businesses of all stripes, whether they’re cheating the public, the government, or, as in this case, both.”
“A jury of Mr. Hadjiev’s peers confirmed what the government first alleged during the indictment: that Mr. Hadjiev trafficked counterfeit goods, laundered the proceeds, and structured deposits in an effort to avoid currency reporting requirements,” said Yury Kruty, Special Agent in Charge of IRS-Criminal Investigation. “The Special Agents of IRS-CI and our law enforcement partners will continue to investigate and bring to justice criminals like Mr. Hadjiev who partake in schemes like this out of greed.”
The case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney KT Newton.