Little Ferry man sentenced for conspiring to bribe officials

Borough resident Michael Hanna, 29, was sentenced to five years in federal prison on Jan. 6 for conspiring to bribe U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials with more than $700,000. Using bribe money, Hanna, who was not authorized to import or sell luxury items from China in New Jersey, sought the cooperation of port officials in bringing counterfeit designer merchandise from China into the Port of Newark, among other area ports, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in a Jan. 6 news release. The release noted that in filed documents as well as court statements, Hanna admitted that between June 2008 and March 2009 he worked with others to import counterfeit handbags, pocketbooks and sneakers that were made in the likeness of Coach, Chanel, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Nike products. Hanna also admitted paying more than $700,000 in cash to an undercover law enforcement agent, who he believed was acting on behalf of a crooked Customs and Border Protection official. Hanna made the payments in an effort to gain the assistance of port officials in guaranteeing that a minimum of 15 shipping containers carrying the counterfeit items would not be seized or detained. Hanna admitted delivering the cash bribes, including $20,000 hidden in a Remy Martin cognac gift box, to the undercover officer at diners and New Jersey Turnpike rest stops, Fishman said last year in a March 3 news release. Originally arrested and charged on March 18, 2009, Hanna was indicted on Aug. 4 of the same year by a federal grand jury and charged with conspiracy, bribery and trafficking in counterfeit goods relating to the 15 shipping containers, Fishman said in the March 3 release. Hanna, who went by the aliases of "Mike Nova" and "George Flores," pleaded guilty on March 3, 2010, to one count of conspiracy to commit bribery of public officials and to traffic in counterfeit luxury goods, Fishman said. "Port Newark and Elizabeth Marine Terminal are the primary container-ship facilities for goods entering and leaving not just the New York-New Jersey metropolitan region, but also the entire northeastern United States," Fishman said March 3. "We will continue to use all appropriate investigative and prosecutorial tools to ensure that our ports are secure." Along with the five-year prison term, Hanna was sentenced to three years of supervised release, Fishman said Jan. 6.