Lakewood woman charged with selling counterfeit designer handbags

You weren't getting the real thing if you were shopping online with a Lakewood woman who said she had handbags from Chanel, Gucci and Louis Vuitton but that was not the case.

Now she's facing criminal charges as a result.

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Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer announced Wednesday that Courtney C. Michaels, 25, of Lakewood has been charged with Counterfeiting for her online scheme.

The Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Economic Crime Squad, Department of Homeland Security and Homeland Security Investigations teamed together to investigate the purchases and it has led to Michaels in handcuffs.

What they learned through their investigation was Michaels was importing large volumes of counterfeit designer handbags, jewelry, and clothing from overseas.

Prosecutor Billhimer said that Michaels advertised the goods as designer brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci and then sold those goods across the United States through her online retail websites.

"The merchandise was not authentic, and was being sold at a fraction of the cost of genuine merchandise."

After completing their investigation and having all the evidence and facts in front of them, Detectives obtained a search warrant for Michaels' residence and earlier today they seized numerous counterfeit items.

Michaels was arrested, charged and processed at the Ocean County Sheriff’s Office and then was released on a summons pending a future court appearance.