According to Law and Crime, Lindsay Castelli has been charged with one count of trademark counterfeiting in the second degree. After turning herself in, the Nassau County Police Department (NCPD) arrested Castelli on Oct. 7 in Plainview, New York, for her role in a Long Island operation where counterfeit designer items were being sold as the real deal.

Before catching her, an investigation had been underway for over a year.

In April 2021, interest in what was happening at Linny’s Boutique, located in Plainview, began when the U.S. Postal Inspectors became curious about the goods in the store. The NCPD shared that during their investigation they learned the 31-year-old “was the sole owner of a storefront that contained thousands of synthetic heat-sealed counterfeit labels along with assorted clothing and jewelry.”

Once enough information was gathered, a search warrant was granted for detectives to check out the items in the boutique. Earlier this month, asset forfeiture detectives executed a search warrant at the boutique. In a press release, the NCPD shared what they found.

“During the search, detectives removed 22 printing press machines and various counterfeit items labeled from Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Dior, Ugg, and Louis Vuitton,” reported Law and Crime. “The combined value of the items was over $40,000,000. Further investigation revealed the items were being shipped all over the United States.”

He added that “the store contained thousands of synthetic, heat-sealed counterfeit Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, Dior, and labels purchased from China.”

According to Fox WNYW, NCPD Commissioner Patrick Ryder said the investigation was named Operation Rainfall because it “rained every time” they watched the boutique. During a press conference, he shared how the process of the “sophisticated operation” allegedly worked.

“They would take a hat, a $3 hat, add a 50-cent item on the side,” Ryder told reporters while showing the alleged items. “They would heat seal it onto the hat and then sell [the] hat for $300. Another example, this sweatshirt in front of you, a simple $10 sweatshirt, you put the Chanel brand on it, it sells for $5,300; $10 sweatshirt with a counterfeit sticker: $5,300.”

CBS News reported “a storefront that you could have walked by hundreds of times and not realized what was in it was thousands and thousands of dollars of counterfeit goods” according to comments made by Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “

Donnelly continued with a warning to other scammers, stating, “We will arrest you and seize your merchandise. It’s not worth it.”

Castelli is out of jail for now, but her first court date is set for Nov. 2, 2022. If proven guilty, she could spend up to three years behind bars.