Danville woman pleads guilty to fraud in handbag case

A Danville woman has pleaded guilty to fraud after selling counterfeit Gucci handbags and using the U.S. Postal Service to send and deliver the handbags.

Ashley Nicole Moss, 24, received a plea agreement after cooperating with federal investigators following a search of her home in February. Her first court appearance was Tuesday in Danville's U.S. District Court.

"I think Ashley is a very good and capable young lady that made a decision that this was going to stop, and she was going to take full responsibility," said John Lichtenstein, her attorney. "She's worked hard to do just that."

Shaly Fang sold Moss the counterfeit bags, which were made in China, according to the federal indictment.

From January 2006 to about July 2008, she ordered about 5,000 handbags from a Web site. Moss transferred money for the counterfeit bags to Fang through Western Union or Citibank to accounts at the Bank of China. She sent about $200,000 to China during that time period, according to the indictment.

According to the indictment, Fang shipped the handbags from China to Moss in Danville. Bags were sent to several addresses and different people, including Moss' boyfriend and dead aunt.

Moss then sold the bags on the Internet as authentic Gucci products. Some customers paid hundreds to thousands of dollars for bags they thought to be authentic. Moss paid $25 to $100 for the bags.

Investigators found Moss was one of thousands of people who cooperated with Fang to sell the counterfeit Gucci handbags, Lichtenstein said.

"China was a hub with a lot of spokes growing out," Judge Jackson Kiser said during the hearing.

Moss cut off contact with Fang after officials searched her Danville home Feb. 8.

Thomas Bondurant Jr., an assistant U.S. attorney, said Moss cooperated with the special agents assigned to her case and disclosed all the information she knew. She contacted Fang again at the government's request and bought 10 handbags. The purchase helped investigators discover and seize $146,000 from a Bank of China account that Fang allegedly was using for payment of the fake bags.

Moss is due in court in October for sentencing. The maximum penalty for the crimes is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Matt Tomsic is a staff writer for the Danville Register & Bee.