A man behind a multimillion dollar fake sneaker operation has been sentenced to federal prison.
Oregon Live reports that James Pepion, the man who operated now-defunct resell site Supplied (also known as Supplied PDX), was sentenced to four months in prison Wednesday after a judge said Pepion intentionally deceived his customers.
Back in April 2016, reports surfaced that Nike had initiated an investigation into Pepion's business, which resulted in the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security searching his home and uncovering thousands of fake sneakers, the majority of them Nikes.
In court, Pepion reportedly argued that his counterfeits were "so close to the original product" that he wasn't causing harm. According to Pepion, his decision to start peddling fakes was a means to keep his business afloat and keep up with increasing demand.
But U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman wasn't having it. "You lied to people about what you were selling. You don't have to go to college to understand that's a crime," Mosman said before handing down the ruling, which includes three years of supervised release.
In addition to the prison time and the $100,000 he's already forfeited to the Swoosh, Pepion may have to go in his pockets yet again to cover the cost of the brand's investigation.
