Super Bowl mania in Las Vegas fuels counterfeit jersey crackdown

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Angela Gardonio says demand was there the minute the two teams punched their ticket to the Super Bowl.

"Super Bowl in Las Vegas, it's a dream come true," she says. "People have been getting our giant fan chains, face decals, hats, and jerseys. Whatever people want to do to show their pride."

As general manager of Sports Town in Downtown Summerlin, her store is stocked with everything 49ers and Chiefs—and you can guarantee it's authentic.

"Everything we sell is licensed," says Gardonio. "It goes through a licenser; it goes through the NFL, NHL, MLB, whatever. And we have licensed vendors like Adidas and Fanatics."

Unfortunately, not all sellers are on the same level.

"A criminal organization is going to exploit a major sporting event to push their product," says Jim Mancuso, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Center, a branch of Homeland Security Investigations.

He says counterfeit goods made their way to Las Vegas long before the teams touched down on the tarmac.

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"You don't know what type of money laundering activities these folks are involved in what other types of organized crime," he explains. "Usually speaking, complex criminal organizations have multiple operations going. Counterfeiting is just one facet of that."

And so far, agents have confiscated nearly $1 million in bogus products, including jerseys. Sloppy stitching is one giveaway.

Then there's this:

"Every piece of NFL merchandise, they have a hologram," says Mancuso.

A reflective tag copycats can't duplicate.

"You'll see the NFL shield; the red and blue, as well as the footballs in the background, are going to have a brownish tint," he says, pointing to the hologram.

That's why Mancuso encourages fans to buy from a reputable source and beware of online deals that are often shipping low-quality products from overseas.

"Why spend your hard-earned money on something that's going to fade, shrink, or fray within a couple of weeks?" he says. "Our mantra for Operation Team Player is true fans, keep it real."

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