Overall, an eight-year prison sentence and, in addition, several sanctions up to half-million euros. That is what the Public Prosecutor has asked for the leaders of the fake Hermès alleged criminal connection. The gang is formally accused of trading, all around the world, counterfeited bags from 2008 until 2012.
The prosecution’s charge
The prosecuting counsels filed their last bill of indictment on December 2nd, at the end of three weeks of hearings. 26 defendants, aged 29 to 86, are involved in the case: among them, 9 former employees of the fashion brand as well.
As reported by fashionnetwork.com, the public prosecutor laid out the case while depicting “an international and well-structured network, which was arranged into a hierarchy”, in which each member was supposedly up to a specific task.
According to accusations, the organization used to supply international markets with fake Birkin bags, whose models were for sale at approximately 18,000 euros each.
Public Prosecutor calls for 8 years
The Public Prosecutor has called for a four-year prison sentence for each of the two defendants suspected of acting as the leading organizers of the criminal network and, in addition, an overall 500,000-euro sanction: specifically, 300,000 euros for one of them and 200,000 euros for the other one.
As regards 20 more defendants, the prosecutor asked for different sentences and sanctions, ranging from a 2-year imprisonment to a 4,000-euro fine. Among them, reportedly, 3 middlemen, 7 artisans, 5 suppliers, 3 buyers and, finally, 2 resellers.
Read also:
- The network that produced and marketed fake Birkin bags for over 20 years
- Fake Birkin: Hermès asks for 2 million damages, the defence arises
