ICE cracks down on counterfeit NFL products

SAN JOSE, Calif — Just days ahead of Super Bowl 50, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has announced that they have seized at least $20 million of counterfeit NFL merchandise.

The fake swag was confiscated in various locations from San Francisco down to the South Bay.

Bruce Foucart, the director of Homeland Security Intellectual Property Rights, said officers have seized all sorts of bogus merchandise over the last couple weeks, including hats, t-shirts and replica Super Bowl rings.

These poor quality products are bad for a number of reasons, according to Foucart.

“We estimate that the U-S economy loses between $250 billion and $300 billion to counterfeiting every year.”

But beyond just being bad for business, Foucart said there is a far bigger problem than just hurting the bottom line of the wealthy NFL.

“We’ve seen an instance where an individual has sold these goods and invested it (the earnings) in guns to carry out terrorist attacks overseas,” said Foucart.

Fans KION spoke to say they are willing to pay the extra bucks to look like the pros and to have a better quality product.

“It looks great,” said long-time San Francisco sports fan Bill Brown motioning to his official Giants jacket. “It is what the players wear on the field and it is what I like to wear.”