Staffordshire secures £567k confiscation for sale of counterfeit DVDs

Staffordshire Trading Standards has secured its largest ever confiscation order at £567,000, against a defendant convicted of selling counterfeit DVDs on eBay.

Paul Michael Foster, aged 53, formerly of Walhouse Drive, Penkridge, Stafford had previously pleaded guilty to one offence of fraudulent trading and nine offences infringing the Trade Marks Act (1994) in November 2015.

He was sentenced to 16 months imprisonment in January 2016.

At a confiscation hearing on 12 February 2018 at Stafford Crown Court, Foster was ordered to pay back £567,000 in proceeds of crime money and prosecution costs of £36,858.72.

Gill Heath, cabinet member for Communities at Staffordshire County Council, said: “This confiscation order against Mr Foster is by far the largest order ever secured by Staffordshire Trading Standards and is entirely fitting for the shocking offending by this individual.

“Counterfeiting costs legitimate businesses dearly and damages the economy and the court has clearly taken these offences very seriously. This is a great result for our Trading Standards team and reflects the hard work of the officers involved in carrying out both the criminal and financial investigation.

“This investigation is also an excellent example of partnership working in the fight against crime, which has subsequently led to the recovery of significant assets obtained through criminality. We will always consider, where appropriate, applying for the confiscation of assets from criminals involved in such activity.”

Forfeiture of the seized DVDs was previously granted to Trading Standards for disposal.