February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Pierce O’Reilly
An Irishman in Queens who police say was selling counterfeit Guinness merchandise has surrendered to authorities.
Liam Groarke of Middle Village, N.Y., was charged before Judge Mullings last week with second- and third-degree trademark conterfeiting for the illegal sale of products portraying the Guinness logo.
Groarke sold products with counterfeit Guinness logos on two separate occasions to an undercover investigator in Queens, police said. A search warrant was subsequently issued last summer to inspect his working premises and investigators said they found 1,200 counterfeit Guinness T-shirts, 600 counterfeit sweatshirts and a consignment of other counterfeit items.
Groarke was not arrested on that occasion, but he did surrender himself to New York police after a subsequent investigation.
Groarke operated his business under the name of AL Enterprise Ireland with an address at 6305 Woodhaven Blvd.
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At the recent court hearing, Mullings released Groarke on his own recognizance to appear again in court on Jan. 25.