Long Island boutique owner is busted in $40 MILLION scheme where she ‘ironed fake designer labels onto clothes and passed them off as Gucci, Chanel, Prada and other high-end labels’
- Lindsay Castelli Bullock, 31, was arrested around 8am Friday after surrendering to detectives with Nassau County Asset Forfeiture, Nassau County officials said
- The mother of four from Smithtown, New York, now faces a charge of trademark counterfeiting in the second degree
- She’s accused of passing-off cheap garments as high-end designer clothing by ironing designer labels onto them
- Bullock could have sold the goods seized by detectives for $40 million had she not been caught, investigators say
- She was released on a desk appearance ticket and ordered to appear in court on November 2 at First District Court in Hempstead
- Detectives were onto Bullock in a year-long probe that started in April 2021 with the assistance of the United States Postal Inspectors, officials said.
A Long Island boutique owner ran a $40 million counterfeiting scam which saw her iron Gucci, Chanel and Prada labels onto cheaper items of clothing – then pass them off as the real deal, prosecutors say.
Lindsay Castelli Bullock, who owns Linny’s Boutique in Plainview, was arrested Tuesday, with the 31 year-old now facing second-degree counterfeiting charges.
The mom-of-four’s store was raided October 4.
There, Nassau County detectives are said to have found 22 printing press machines used to create the fake labels, which were heat-sealed on garments with an iron.
Nearby were knockoff items of clothing and jewels Bullock is said to have falsely passed-off as being genuine Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Dior, Ugg, and Louis Vuitton.
Cops said the combined value of the clothing would have been $40 million, had Bullock managed to convince her customers that it genuine, and sell it.
In addition to her sparse gray retail store, Bullock also allegedly ran the scheme through a private Facebook group called Shop Linnys, which had 5,000 members.
Once approved to join, prospective shoppers were bombarded with statuses showing Bullock herself modeling what she claimed to be designer gear, while encouraging them to snap it up.
But Bullock’s antics also caught the attention of cops, who began probing her business in April 2021.
They called in United States Postal Inspectors to help with the probe, which likely involved packages being seized so their contents then evaluated to see if they were genuine.
Having decided Bullock was a scammer, detectives mounted the raid.
Lindsay Bullock was arrested on Friday in a $40M counterfeit operation in Long Island scheme where she ‘sold fake Gucci, Chanel, Prada and other high-end labels through her boutique’
On December 16, 2020 Bullock posts information about her grand opening that garnered 150 comments
The mother of four from Smithtown, New York, now faces a charge of trademark counterfeiting in the second degree. Bullock was released on a desk appearance ticket and due back in court on November 2 at First District Court in Hempstead
Bullock is pictured sitting in what appears to be her store room, with cops saying the clothing she sold was all counterfeit
On September 22 Bullock posted a photo of herself in ripped denim light blue-washed jeans and a grey-blue button oversized blouse sharing her latest update:
‘Sit back, relax and shop with me while sippin’ a glass of wine,’ she wrote.
‘The new LIVE schedule is set to start and starts 9/25!’ Here’s the perks,’ she continued.
On September 8, she issued a post telling her inner circle to download her app and sign up to register ‘by midnight; and when they do, they will receive a $25 shop credit!
The posting had a picture that said: ‘Follow the steps! Everyone is a winner.’
On December 16, 2020, Castille went to Facebook to share her boutique’s grand opening and also share a personal message to her audience.
‘Sometimes you just have to say eff it all and start over. Not worry about what everyone will say or think. Block out the negativity and those that don’t believe.’
Here’s to new beginnings and new ventures.
Her post garnered 414 views and 150 comments.
During the search, detectives removed 22 printing press machines and various counterfeit items labeled from Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Dior, Ugg, and Louis Vuitton
A photo of the boutique interior, located at 1032 Old Country Road in Plainview. During the raid, detectives discovered thousands of synthetic heat-sealed counterfeit labels along with assorted clothing and jewelry, it is alleged
Catelli often showed the latest merchandise that arrived at her Plainview boutique on her website and through her private group, Shop Linny’s, that had 5K members
Before she was caught in her scheme, Castelli had a private group called, Shop Linny’s that garnered up to 5.0K members. The only way to be part of this exclusive members-only group is to be granted access by an administrator
A post from September 22 (pictured) of Bullock in ripped denim light blue-washed jeans and a gray-blue button oversized blouse sharing her latest update. It was to be her final update before being arrested October 4
On August 9, Bullock posted some of her new arrivals that included high-fashion boots, shoes, sneakers. Cops say they were all counterfeit fakes
On her Facebook pages Bullock writes ‘A Girl Should Be Two Things: Classy and Fabulous,’ while wearing different outfits as she showcases her Fall arrivals
Last year, when Bullock needed some extra help she went to her social media looking for new hires: ‘Who loves clothes, is outgoing, wants extra cash, fun to be around and knows how to have a good time?! she wrote.
‘I am hiring 5 of you to work part time! FLEXIBLE schedule, hourly plus commission, must be able to report to Plainview for your desired hours, work as much or as little as you would like but while you’re working you’ve gotta kill it!,’ he said.
‘Interested?! Drop a comment below and I’ll send you the details.’ No-one else has been arrested as part of the probe into Bullock’s alleged counterfeiting.
The news of Castelli’s counterfeit bust sent shockwaves through Plainview, Merrick, Dix Hills, Bethpage area – and other neighboring towns in Nassau County.
‘I was surprised,’ said one woman who heard the news and told DailyMail.com that she had been to the store about a month ago.
Some told DailyMail.com that they remember when the store was under a different name. They also said that they thought it was odd that all the items on the floor were on sale.
One woman said that when she stopped at the Plainview boutique a few a few weeks ago, ‘everything was on clearance.’
She said when she returned to the boutique with her daughter, the store was closed.
Castelli has been released on a desk appearance ticket and due back in court on November 2 at First District Court in Hempstead.
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