Warrant: Counterfeit sports items sold at local flea market

WINCHESTER — Virginia State Police are investigating a local couple who may have sold counterfeit sports merchandise at an area flea market.

According to a search warrant filed Tuesday in Frederick County Circuit Court, undercover surveillance was conducted July 28 at Shen-Valley Flea Market at Double Tollgate.

During surveillance, police saw a man and woman selling counterfeit sports merchandise — including Major League Baseball, NFL, NHL, NBA and college team items — in the outdoor section of the flea market.

After placing an order to buy jerseys from the man at the flea market, more undercover surveillance was done during three occasions in September at the couple’s Winchester home.

“During the time period when surveillance was conducted at [the 200 block of Wayfaring Drive, Winchester] UPS notifications and DHL package notifications were observed at the front door,” the warrant states. “[An investigator] observed on several occasions shipping packages being unloaded at the flea market stand and sports jerseys and sports baseball caps were unpackaged from the boxes and put on display at the stand to be sold to the general public.”

All items from each of the undercover purchases during the investigation were examined by an expert who verified that they were indeed counterfeit goods, according to the warrant.

Items seized from the couple’s home include 13 baseball caps, an NFL jersey, business records and a shipping box, the warrant states.

The warrant was executed at the home Saturday. It is unclear if any arrests have been made in the case.

The Shen-Valley Flea Market operates year-round on weekends. It is the area’s largest flea market, with as many as 300 tables on any given day, according to its website.

— Contact Melissa Boughton at mboughton@winchesterstar.com