Fake Patriots rings, other NFL, NBA, MLB rings, seized by NY border patrol

Fake Super Bowl rings — including some that featured the New England Patriots logo — along with other rings with NFL, NBA and MLB trademarks, were seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protections officers at the Rochester Port of Entry in New York, the agency announced.

Officers found what they later determined to be counterfeit rings and small championship trophies in late April, the agency said in a statement released Thursday.

The fake Super Bowl rings included those that featured the logos of the Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders, the New York Giants and the Washington Redskins, Border Patrol said in its statement. Fake World Series rings were also found, featuring logos from the New York Yankees. Fake NBA Championship rings featured logos from the Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Bulls.

Fake NCAA basketball championship rings from Syracuse University were also found, according to the statement.

An examination of the items determined all of the items were fake and were “seized for bearing counterfeit trademarks,” the agency said. The items were seized as Intellectual Property Rights violations.

“Had these items been genuine, the total Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) value would be approximately $9,000 dollars,” according to the statement.

“Our officers continue to play a critical role in protecting the consumer from counterfeit items,” Rochester Port Director Ronald Menz said in the statement. “Counterfeiters scam consumers into buying low-quality replicas online. Our officers diligently work to protect the American consumer by intercepting this illegitimate merchandise.”

U.S. Customs and Border Protections “has the authority to detain, seize, forfeit, and ultimately destroy imported merchandise if it bears an infringing trademark or copyright that has been registered with the United States Patent and Trademark Office or the United States Copyright Office” the statement said.