Police: Palm Beach store owner charged with selling counterfeit Chanel handbags

A Palm Beach business owner has been charged with selling counterfeit Chanel handbags at her luxury boutique on Royal Poinciana Way.

Arlene Bonner, 64, was arrested Wednesday following a monthlong investigation by town police, according to a probable-cause affidavit.

Bonner, who owns Couture & More at 255 Royal Poinciana Way, was arrested on one count of selling or offering for sale counterfeit goods or services.

Details on her arrest were not immediately available Wednesday. It was unclear whether Bonner had retained an attorney to represent her on when she would first appear before a judge. The Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office will decide what charges Bonner would face.

Police said Bonner sold a pink, counterfeit Chanel handbag to an undercover office for $635 on Feb. 12. Police noted that the bag has an estimated retail value of $7,000 from an authorized Chanel dealer.

Five additional bags with Chanel branding, priced at $3,000 in the store, had an estimated retail value of $35,000 from an authorized Chanel dealer, police said.

Through its Special Investigations and Intelligence Unit, Palm Beach Police launched “Operation Botox & Bags” after receiving information that Couture & More had designer handbags in the rear storage area that were suspected of being counterfeit, according to the affidavit.

SIU detectives were advised that there were no handbags in the main shopping display area of the store.

On Feb. 12, an undercover detective walked to the rear of the store based on the information provided and observed a partially opened bifolding door, which led to a small room near the back of the store, according to the affidavit.

A sign displayed outside the room read, “Back Room Sale.” While inspecting the room, the detective identified a glass display case that held six Chanel purses, which came in shades of gray/blue, pink, white, red, tan and black. All the purses had the same Chanel brand logo.

After viewing the Chanel bags, the detective walked to the front counter and asked an unidentified associate if the pink Chanel handbag was for sale.

The associate then told Bonner that the detective was interested in purchasing a handbag from the back room.Bonner then went to the room, retrieved the pink Chanel handbag, and handed it to the detective.

Bonner explained that the handbags belonged to someone who had hosted a “trunk show,” and he was to pick them up the next day, according to the affidavit.

She advised the detective that the price of the handbag was $595, and it was “good quality.”

She then instructed the detective not to disclose where she bought the purse, noting that she “could work for the State,” according to the affidavit.

Bonner then warned the detective that “if you tell people the handbags are real, that is how you get into trouble.”

The detective then completed the purchase of the pink “Chanel” handbag using Palm Beach Police covert funds.

On Feb. 13, photos of the pink handbag were sent to Chanel representative Melissa Aziz, who confirmed it was counterfeit.

Jodie Wagner is a journalist at the Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at jwagner@pbdailynews.com.

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