Lytham man who made over £500k selling counterfeit car badges ordered to repay ill-gotten gains

Matthew Paul Shlusar, 39, of Crofters Walk, Lytham, sold thousands of counterfeit car badges and stickers with trade marks belonging to major car manufacturers including Audi, Volkswagen, BMW and Ford.

The property was seized from a unit on Snowden Road, St Annes, following an investigation led by Lancashire County Council's trading standards officers, tipped off by a complaint from Jaguar Land Rover.

Investigators estimated the haul to be worth more than £300,000 at current high street prices.

Shlusar pleaded guilty to nine charges under the Trade Marks Act 1994 at Preston Crown Court on November 11 2021, and was sentenced to nine months in prison, suspended for 18 months. He was also ordered to carry out 50 hours of unpaid work.

Confiscation proceedings concluded on August 4, when Shlusar was ordered to repay £554,913 of illegal earnings from online sales. He must make the first payment of £62,886.89 within three months – or face a year behind bars.

County councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for health and wellbeing at Lancashire County Council, said: "Counterfeit goods with a calculated retail value in excess of £300,000 were seized thanks to a thorough investigation by Lancashire trading standards officers.

"While our priority is always to support our local businesses, we will not hesitate to prosecute those who flout the law.

"Protecting legitimate retailers by removing illegal operators from the marketplace is vital to creating a level playing field.

"This case sends out a strong message that we won’t tolerate anyone looking to get rich by duping the public with counterfeit goods.

"If you suspect fake goods are being sold, please report them to our trading standards service via our Citizen's Advice Consumer Helpline."

Anyone wanting to contact Lancashire Trading Standards for advice, or to report an illegal sale, should call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.