Isaac Lapidus, of Lawrence, made millions on counterfeit Nintendo products on Amazon, Nassau DA says

A Lawrence man was arrested this week for passing off hundreds of thousands of fake Nintendo gaming accessories on Amazon for up to $2 million in sales, according to the Nassau County district attorney.

Isaac Lapidus, 34, was charged with trademark counterfeiting and fourth-degree conspiracy in Nassau District Court. He pleaded not guilty Wednesday and was released without bail.

Prosecutors say that between October 2018 and September, Lapidus set up five separate seller accounts on Amazon to hawk fake Nintendo Switch docking stations, Switch dock adapters and Pokémon Go Plus accessories. He sold the items under the names PandaVida Inc., Unibabe, ABC of product, this too shall pass, and Zuzu Cares 4 U (now listed as ArminStore on Amazon).

All the accounts listed the same 4217 Austin Blvd. shipping address in Island Park, the site of a warehouse owned by Lapidus, according to the district attorney’s office.

Based on a tip from Nintendo and Amazon, investigators started looking into the sales and found the products had incorrect designs and Japanese language characters and erroneous serial numbers and product codes, prosecutors said, and Amazon subsequently froze the seller accounts.

Prosecutors said they traced the Amazon accounts, phone numbers and bank information back to Lapidus.

Investigators served a search warrant on the Island Park warehouse on Sept. 2 where they found boxes of counterfeit Nintendo products.

"For years, this defendant allegedly hawked hundreds of thousands of counterfeit Nintendo accessories for popular consoles and games through several Amazon seller accounts he controlled and kept the phony merchandise in an Island Park warehouse for distribution to unsuspecting buyers. Despite consumer complaints about imitation products in their reviews, sales totaled into the millions of dollars," Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in a news release. "Counterfeit products are not just bad for business, they can also be dangerous for consumers, especially when electronics are involved. It may be hard to spot a fake online, but consumers should always look out for poor reviews, try to shop directly from brands or manufacturers — not third-party sellers — and always double-check the seller and shipping source when shopping ecommerce. Simple steps can protect your wallet and your safety."

The attorney representing Lapidus, Michael Soshnick, said his client has done nothing wrong.

"I think the district attorney is going to fall flat on her face here," he said. "He's not a crook, he's not a fraudster. He never intended to deceive anyone."

Soshnick said his client went through arbitration with Amazon over the disputed products and said they could not prove the goods were fakes.

He said that ultimately, the online retail platform sent the products back to him shortly before the district attorney raided his warehouse.

"It's sort of like a setup," the lawyer said. "Surprise, surprise, we found products that Amazon just shipped to my client's warehouse to be counterfeit."

The lawyer said that Lapidus, who is married with three children and one on the way, has worked in the online retail business for more than 10 years.

Lapidus, who is due back in court Sept. 18, faces up to 15 years in prison.