Miami has seen plenty of wild side hustles. But turning your house into a fake luxury department store is certainly one way to get attention.
Liudmila Perez-Labrada, 36, was arrested Tuesday after Miami-Dade detectives accused her of running a large counterfeit merchandise operation from her home.
According to her arrest report, investigators say she was selling fake luxury products both in person and through Instagram.
The alleged stash was not exactly small. Authorities reportedly valued the counterfeit merchandise at around $1.7 million if it was real, but it wasn’t. People knew they were buying fakes, so what crime did they commit?
Perez-Labrada is facing a charge involving counterfeit goods valued at $20,000 or more and involving at least 1,000 items.
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At that point, this was apparently no longer a little side hustle with a few suspicious handbags in the closet. This was allegedly a full business.
Detectives say the investigation started in February with a tip from Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers and a complaint from Miami-Dade County Regulatory.
Investigators linked an Instagram page at the center of the complaint called “Elegance and Glamour” to Perez-Labrada.
Between February and June, the arrest report said a private investigator working with detectives made four undercover purchases through the Instagram page. Items included a Louis Vuitton handbag, a Gucci crossbody bag, an Alo top, and two Louis Vuitton bathing suits, according to the report.
Payments were made through an undercover Zelle account and confirmed as received by Munekas Boutique LLC, which detectives say is Perez-Labrada’s business.
The internet has made selling products incredibly easy. Take some pictures, write a caption, post them on Instagram and wait for the messages.
Inside the home, detectives found a retail-store-style setup in one room with merchandise openly displayed. Another room was used for storage. Perez-Labrada also told detectives she had a storage unit nearby and gave written consent to search it. Detectives found more suspected counterfeit merchandise there.
Items seized included handbags, shoes, jewelry, clothing, swimwear, sunglasses, and accessories from more than two dozen brands, including Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Balenciaga, Cartier, Fendi, Miu Miu, Nike, Adidas, Tiffany and Co., and others.
Fake luxury merchandise is built on convincing people they are getting the real thing.
But when detectives show up at your door, the biggest brand name in the room is suddenly “evidence.”
That is one Instagram business strategy that definitely did not come with free shipping.
