LAS VEGAS (AP) — Homeland Security officials on a pre-Super Bowl crackdown say they've seized about $15,000 in knock-off sports merchandise in Las Vegas.
Agents said they took two downtown kiosk operators into custody and seized about 600 phony NFL logo items this week. They say they found more than six dozen counterfeit jerseys, along with T-shirts and hoodies with professional sports logos.
Officials say the merchandise would sell for $15,000 if it was authentic.
The shutdown is part of Homeland Security's nationwide "Operation Red Zone" effort to curb fake sports paraphernalia.
Las Vegas agent Michael Harris says counterfeiting isn't a victimless crime because it undermines the U.S. economy and can fund other criminal operations.
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