Two say they didn’t sell fakes

Deirdre Newman

A Westminster couple has pleaded not guilty to charges of

manufacturing and possessing for sale counterfeit designer purses

that they allegedly sold at the Orange County Market Place.

Sarkis Kivork, 56, and his wife Alice Kivork, 45, entered their

pleas on Tuesday in Superior Court in Santa Ana. If convicted, they

face up to 11 years and four months in prison.

The Orange County district attorney’s office has been

investigating the Kivorks since February, Deputy District Atty. Susan

Schroeder said. In May, investigators bought fake designer purses

from the couple’s booth at the high-end swap meet at the Orange

County fairgrounds. More than 2,478 counterfeit items, with brand

names such as Kate Spade and Louis Vuitton, were found in the

Kivork’s home.

On Nov. 1, investigators again purchased fake designer purses from

them and later recovered more than 1,400 counterfeit items -- which

would value $1 million, if real -- in their home.

Stuart Suchman, the attorney for Market Place president Jeff

Teller, said he wasn’t aware of the investigation into the Kivork’s

merchandise. Every vendor receives a manual that says selling illegal

goods is not allowed, Suchman said.

“We police it as best we can, but there are 1,500 sellers out

there, and sometimes they’ve got things that look very authentic,”

Suchman said.

Market Place customers should compare the prices they are being

offered with the products being sold to avoid getting fake

merchandise, Suchman said.

“If [you’re] buying a named item that you know is expensive and

it’s a small percentage of that price, you have to be a little

suspicious,” Suchman said. “The important thing is we will prohibit

any of that and will enforce our rules if any of that happens.”

To post their bail of $1 million, the Kivorks had to prove that

the money came from a legitimate source, which they could not do,

Schroeder said.