Qiyao Yuan, 43, of Maryland, and Ping Chen, 45, of Virginia, each pled guilty yesterday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to a one-count information charging conspiracy to commit copyright infringement. When sentenced for these offenses, Yuan faces up to five years of imprisonment and Chen faces up to one year of imprisonment. Sentencing for Yuan is scheduled for September 6, 2006, before the Honorable Ellen S. Huvelle. Sentencing for Chen is scheduled for September 12, 2006, before the Honorable Alan Kay.

The guilty pleas arose from search warrants executed on November 10, 2005, at multiple locations linked to the sale of counterfeit goods, including luxury handbags and wallets, movies, sound recordings and sports jerseys in the largest crackdown to date on counterfeit goods in the District of Columbia.

"These guilty pleas result from the concerted joint law enforcement action against four different counterfeit goods operations in the Florida Avenue Market area of the District of Columbia and reflects our firm commitment to aggressively prosecute those who steal the works and good name of others," said United States Attorney Wainstein. “Those who sell counterfeit goods profit by stealing business from honest merchants, confusing or defrauding honest consumers, and illegally profiting on the backs of honest American workers and entrepreneurs.”

Four different businesses, YY Enterprises, Inc., located at 1225 4th Street, NE; Wazir Marble and General Merchandise, located at 1329 4th Street, NE; ANA Wholesale also known as Lai Wholesale Gifts, located at 1335 4th Street, NE; and Gifts Unlimited Inc., located at 1345 A 4th Street, NE, were searched. Today’s guilty pleas include an owner and employee from the YY Enterprises, Inc, location.

In announcing the guilty pleas, United States Attorney Wainstein commended the Metropolitan Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia Office of the Attorney General. In addition, he praised legal assistants Lisa Robinson and Teesha Tobias, and Thomas Royal from the Litigation Support Unit. Lastly, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney John Carlin in the District of Columbia's Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property Unit, and Trial Attorney Corbin Weiss of the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section of the Justice Department's Criminal Division.