Vanessa Roberts Avery, the United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Klevis Nako, a 24-year-old from Worcester, Massachusetts, has been sentenced to 60 days in prison. U.S. District Judge Vernon D. Oliver handed down the sentence in Hartford for Nako's role in a conspiracy to sell counterfeit luxury watches imported from China.
Court documents reveal that between November 2020 and April 2024, Nako collaborated with others to distribute fake luxury watches across the United States. He acquired these counterfeit items either directly from China or through a partner in New York. The products were marketed online via social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. During their investigation, law enforcement officers conducted undercover operations purchasing fake Rolex watches from Nako’s Instagram account for prices ranging between $100 and $300.
Between February and July 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) intercepted around 16 parcels containing 138 counterfeit Rolex watches and five Audemars Piguet watches sent to Nako’s home address. Later, between April and June 2022, CBP seized three more parcels addressed to an office rented by Nako in Holden, Massachusetts. These contained 11 counterfeit Rolexes and one Movado watch. If genuine, these seized items would have had an estimated retail value of about $3 million.
Judge Oliver also ordered Nako to forfeit $271,585 gained from his illegal activities.
Nako was arrested on April 3, 2024. A search authorized by the court found over 60 counterfeit luxury watches at his residence along with fake watch boxes and shopping bags. On August 21, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to trafficking counterfeit goods.
At the time of his arrest, Nako was working as a police officer at Framingham State University Police Department in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Nako has been released on a $50,000 bond but must report to prison on February 13.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Internal Revenue Service's Criminal Investigation Division, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Neeraj N. Patel and Shan Patel.