PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — A counterfeit Chanel bag landed a Palm Beach boutique owner behind bars.
The Palm Beach Police Department (PBPD) said Arlene Bonner, owner of Couture & More in Palm Beach, has been charged with selling counterfeit goods after an undercover investigation by the PBPD’s Special Investigations and Intelligence Unit.
Detectives received a tip that the store was selling counterfeit designer handbags, specifically Chanel, from a backroom. On February 12, an undercover detective visited the store and observed several handbags with Chanel’s logo in a backroom marked “Back Room Sale.”
Bonner, 64, was identified as the person who sold a pink Chanel handbag to the undercover detective for $635, which was later confirmed to be counterfeit by a Chanel representative. The handbag’s estimated retail value from an authorized Chanel dealer is $7,000.
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Bonner allegedly told Detective Bido that the handbags were from a “trunk show” and advised not to disclose the purchase location, warning, “if you tell people the handbags are real, that is how you get into trouble.”
Chanel’s legal counsel confirmed that Couture & More has never had the right to use Chanel trademarks. Bonner faces selling counterfeit goods, a third-degree felony.
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