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A Few Clouds D.A.: Queens couple sold DVDs illegally in East Meadow
A couple living in Queens were arrested last week for operating a counterfeit DVD ring out of their Flushing apartment, while also selling pirated movies in locations throughout Nassau County, including East Meadow, according to Acting District Attorney Madeline Singas.
Xing Ming Wang and Xiao Yu Zheng, both 48, were arrested on Sept. 11 by District Attorney’s office investigators and charged with three felonies.
They were arraigned by Nassau District Court Judge James Darcy, who set bail for $1,500 bond or $750 cash. If convicted of the top charge against them, the couple faces a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison. They are due back in court on Sept. 15.
Singas said her office was notified in April by a diner owner that Zheng came to the restaurant every Thursday to sell DVDs. Working in conjunction with an investigator from the Motion Picture Association of America, she said they determined that the DVDs were counterfeit goods.
According to investigators, Zheng went from table to table selling the DVDs, while her husband, Wang, waited in the car. Investigators purchased DVDs from Zheng in April, June and July, Singas said, and also observed the couple leaving their home with multiple bags of counterfeit DVDs. The couple was allegedly observed selling DVDs at nail salons, diners, car washes, optometry offices and other locations, often in East Meadow.
Detective investigators seized more than 1,500 DVDs from their home when the couple was arrested, according to Singas.
Wang was represented at his arraignment by attorney Douglas Appel, but Appel told the Herald on Tuesday he is no longer Wang’s attorney on the case. Zheng is represented by Legal Aid, which does not comment on cases.
Wang and Zheng were charged with felonies of first-degree scheme to defraud, first-degree failure to disclose the origin of a recording, and second-degree trademark counterfeiting.
