CLEARFIELD – A New Jersey man agreed to hand over $7,000 and plead guilty to a summary charge after he was found to be transporting counterfeit DVDs on Interstate 80 in Lawrence Township.
Travis C. Denny, 37, of Plainfield, N.J., had been charged with the greater charge of misdemeanor trademark counterfeiting before entering the plea.
A state trooper stopped a vehicle Denny was driving on Feb. 21 at about 8:40 a.m. while traveling eastbound on I-80 after he was following another vehicle too closely. Denny was issued a written warning.
The trooper asked Denny and his passenger about their destination, and they said they were attending a funeral. Denny, according to court papers, became nervous when the trooper questioned him about the funeral and viewing.
The passenger, who is also the owner of the car, gave the trooper consent to search the vehicle.
The trooper noticed a strong odor of “masking agents” in the car. He then found a duffel bag containing 14 counterfeit DVDs and $7,000 in cash.
“When the U.S. currency was located, the operator immediately stated that the money came from selling fake DVDs, not drugs,” the trooper stated in his report.
The trooper’s report also noted that Deny made several statements to him that he previously bought counterfeit sneakers, clothes and DVDs in New York and sold them in Canton, Ohio. On this trip, he was returning the movies because they were blurry.
In addition to forfeiting his money, Denny will also pay $177 in fines and court costs.