NEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities and the NFL have seized a record $26.6 million worth of fake Super Bowl jerseys, hats and other items in a crackdown on sale of counterfeit goods.
The seizure was announced Thursday at a Manhattan news conference.
Authorities say most of the knockoffs were manufactured overseas. They say once the makers learned the Broncos and Seahawks made the Super Bowl, they rushed to make the goods with the teams’ logos. Then the goods were smuggled into the U.S. using overnight shipping.
Authorities say fans only get about a 10 percent break on price for the poor-quality fake goods. They also say the losses caused by the counterfeiting drive up the price of legitimate goods.
