newjerseynewsroom.com

Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli announced the arrest of Claudia M. Lozon, on December 21, 2010.

The charges are the result of a month long investigation by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, White Collar Crime Unit under the direction of Chief Steven Cucciniello, the Paramus Police Department under the direction of Acting Chief Chris Brock, and the New Jersey Department of Taxation, Criminal Investigation Division.

Authorities received information from representatives of the Power Balance Bracelet Company of Laguna Niguel, Calif., to investigate allegations that counterfeit Power Balance Bracelets were being sold at kiosks in the Garden State Plaza Mall in Paramus, New Jersey during the holiday shopping season.

On December 2, 2010, a representative of the Power Balance Bracelet Company contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office to inform them that they had made several purchases of counterfeit bracelets that were being sold at two separate kiosks within the Garden State Plaza Mall. The counterfeit bracelets did not contain their patented Power Balance Performance Hologram technology and were purchased from China for less than five cents each. Members of the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office conducted surveillance of the kiosk locations and observed the kiosk operators performing power balance demonstrations on unsuspecting customers. These were the same Power Balance demonstrations that are depicted on the legitimate Power Balance website located at powerbalance.com using various sports celebrities. Subsequently, law enforcement personnel made multiple purchases of the alleged counterfeit Power Balance bracelet from the kiosk operators at both locations. These bracelets were subsequently deemed counterfeit. On December 21, 2010 court authorized search warrants were executed for both kiosk locations which resulted in the seizure of over 1,000 counterfeit bracelets, along with computers and other related advertisement products. In addition, another 1,000 bracelets were seized during a search of the residence of Claudia M. Lozon, which is located in Rockland County, New York.

Prior to the search warrants, an arrest warrant was served on Claudia M. Lozon, 46, who was the owner of both kiosks, according to records obtained from the Westfield Management Office, which owns and operates the Garden State Plaza Mall. Ms. Lozon was taken into custody in Wesley Hills, New York at her residence and lodged in the Rockland County Jail awaiting extradition back to Bergen County. The sale of these counterfeit bracelets represents a loss in the hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Power Balance Company. The investigation is ongoing and additional charges may be forthcoming.

Claudia M. Lozon was charged with N.J.S. 2C:21-32c - Sale of Counterfeit Merchandise, a crime of the second degree.

— NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM