Sheriff Accuses South Suburban Men of Selling Fake MLB, Nike and Timberland Gear

Six south suburban men—including one from Orland Park and another from Oak Lawn—were busted by the Cook County sheriff's police and accused of operating a counterfeit sales ring featuring knockoffs of Nike, Timberland and Major League Baseball apparel.

Police say they seized more than 4,000 items, including shoes, jackets, hats and shirts, with an estimated value of $150,000.

Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Saturday that the ring sold the knockoffs from stores in the suburbs and Chicago.

The Special Operations Unit began investigating the ring in early March after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen. Over the course of several weeks, investigators conducted surveillance and undercover purchases. On April 12th and 13th, detectives conducted a raid of the five businesses owned by the men: one was in Oak Park and four were in Chicago.

Hazem Nasir, 48, of the 16000 block of Laurel Drive in Orland Park, faces two misdemeanor counts of counterfeiting. Muhamad Nakhlek, 19, of the 9200 block of South 50th Avenue in Oak Lawn, also faces two misdemeanor counts of counterfeiting.

Two others face felony charges. Ali Shaheen, 27, of the 10600 block of South Parkside Avenue in Chicago Ridge, three felony counts of counterfeiting, had bail set at $30,000. Said Aljuba, 30, of the 7000 block of West 100th Street in Chicago Ridge, two felony counts of counterfeiting, had bail set at $20,000.

The others charged include:

• Iman Shahin, 26, of the 10600 block of South Parkside Avenue in Chicago Ridge, one misdemeanor count of counterfeiting
• Jalal Zayed, 36, of the 10500 block of Major Avenue in Chicago Ridge, one misdemeanor count of counterfeiting
• Mohammed Zaben, 33, of the 4300 block of West Belmont Avenue in Chicago, two misdemeanor counts of counterfeiting
• Samer Assad, 37, of the 4000 block of West Barry Avenue in Chicago, three misdemeanor counts of counterfeiting
• Amer Alomari, 34, of the 5600 block of West Eastwood Avenue in Chicago, one misdemeanor count of counterfeiting