New York City Office of Special Enforcement Self-Storage Counterfeit Operation Investigation Initiative

This program is funded under both the Edward Byrne Memorial Competitive Grant Program (Byrne Competitive Program) and the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program. Authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2009 (Pub. L. 111-8), the Byrne Competitive Program helps local communities improve the capacity of state and local justice systems and provides for national support efforts including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address local needs. The JAG Program (42 U.S.C. 3751(a)) is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions, and JAG funds support all components of the criminal justice system. The JAG Program authorization also states that 'the Attorney General may reserve not more than 5 percent, to be granted to 1 or more States or units of local government, for 1 or more of the purposes specified in section 3751 of this title, pursuant to his determination that the same is necessary'(1) to combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime' (42 U.S.C. 3756).

The Intellectual Property Enforcement, Training, and Technical Assistance Program is designed to provide national support and improve the capacity of state and local criminal justice systems to address intellectual property criminal enforcement, including prosecution, prevention, training, and technical assistance.

The New York City Mayor's Office of Special Enforcement (OSE) will additional investigators to specialize in the surveillance, infiltration, and eradication of counterfeit merchandise distributors operating out of self-storage facilities throughout the city of New York. OSE will assess the scale of counterfeit operations in the City's numerous self-storage locations and assemble cases against those who operate such networks. OSE undercover investigators will conduct surveillance and infiltration actions to develop compelling cases against both the counterfeit distributors and facility operators found to be complicit in the illegal activity transpiring on their premises.

CA/NCF