Forgery in France: Counterfeit Hermès Operation Ends in Prison Sentences
Former Hermès employees make up 9 of the 23 people charged.
23 people have been given prison sentences in connection to a $22 million-plus Hermès counterfeit operation that happened in France between 2008 and 2012. A Paris court awarded 10.4 million euros in damages to the fashion house.
Over the four-year period, thousands of incredibly accurate fake Birkin bags were sold across France in the counterfeiting operation. Some of the bags were made in France and Hong Kong and produced in secret workshops. Hundreds of others are thought to have been made through a Hermès employee program that allows Hermès employees to make their own bags.
Of the 23 people charged, nine were former Hermès employees. They played an integral part in the counterfeit ring, providing authentic materials and overseeing the manufacturing of the fakes.
According to Agence France Presse, a 41-year-old man was named as the engineer behind the scheme. He was sentenced to six years in prison and fined 1.5 million euros in absentia. An active warrant is out for his arrest.
The main supplier, a 66-year-old man, was also charged, sentenced to four years in prison, and fined 400,000 euros.
Hermès is yet to make an official statement on the verdicts.
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