A British man convicted of selling counterfeit Premier League soccer kits over social media — including those of Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool FC — has been ordered to repay more than £118,000 ($150,000 US) or face time in prison.
Sajid Hussain of Bradford in West Yorkshire, England, pled guilty to unauthorized possession and distribution of trademarks in May 2022 and was sentenced to a 12-month community order and to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. Last week, a confiscation order was approved by Bradford Crown Court that requires Hussain to pay back some of the profits he made from those sales, or else spend time in jail.
While West Yorkshire Trading Standards had calculated that Hussain had made almost £330,000 ($420,000 US) selling counterfeit shirts, it arrived at the repayment figure from the total of his bank accounts along with “tainted gifts and hidden assets” that are under investigation.
“The Proceeds of Crime Act allows us to recoup a criminal’s benefit from crime via confiscation orders, and we will pursue and recover assets of those involved in this type of offending, ensuring they cannot use their ill-gotten gains to further their illegal enterprises,” said West Yorkshire Trading Standards manager Linda Davis.
Hussain first landed on the authorities’ radar when test purchases of a Manchester United kit were conducted in June 2019; working with manufacturer Adidas, the products were found to be fake. A couple of months later, a package addressed to Hussain was intercepted at Leeds Bradford International Airport with 39 counterfeit items inside.
West Yorkshire Trading Standards and police executed a search warrant on Hussain’s home in January 2020, where they seized more counterfeit items. Brand protection officers from both Nike and Adidas were also on hand as the warrant was executed. Financial inquiries found that Hussain’s PayPal account had total sales of £161,000 between January 2017 and August 2019.
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