Miami woman arrested for running $1.7M counterfeit luxury goods ring from home
Liudmila Perez-Labrada, 36, sold fake Louis Vuitton, Gucci and other luxury brands via Instagram. Seized goods had an estimated authentic retail value of $1.7 million.
Miami woman charged after fake luxury goods sold through Instagram boutique
A Miami woman was taken into custody on August 25 after a months-long undercover investigation into a counterfeit luxury goods operation she allegedly ran from her home, cbsnews.com reports. Liudmila Perez-Labrada, 36, faces a charge of counterfeiting goods valued at $20,000 or more, involving 1,000 or more items.
The investigation began in February following a tip to Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers and a complaint filed with Miami-Dade County Regulatory. Detectives linked an Instagram page called "Elegance and Glamour" to Perez-Labrada and used a private investigator to make four undercover purchases through the account between February and June.
Items bought during those operations included a Louis Vuitton handbag, a Gucci crossbody bag, an Alo top, and two Louis Vuitton bathing suits. Payments were processed through an undercover Zelle account and confirmed as received by Munekas Boutique LLC, identified by detectives as Perez-Labrada's registered business. Brand representatives for Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Alo each reviewed the purchased items and provided affidavits confirming the goods were counterfeit.
A subpoena of Zelle records tied to the phone number used in the transactions revealed more than 570 deposit payments totalling over $112,000 between November 1, 2025, and April 14. Payment memos referenced specific brand names and item descriptions consistent with what Perez-Labrada was allegedly selling.
On July 22, detectives executed a search warrant at Perez-Labrada's home near Northwest 81st Terrace and 32nd Avenue in Miami. A visitor, identified as J. Castro Dominguez, was present at the property and gave a sworn statement saying she had come to purchase counterfeit merchandise after seeing posts on Instagram and scheduling an appointment.
Inside, detectives found one room set up in retail-store style, with merchandise openly displayed, and a second room used for storage. Perez-Labrada also gave written consent to search a nearby storage unit, where additional suspected counterfeit goods were found. Items seized across both locations included handbags, shoes, jewelry, clothing, swimwear, sunglasses, and accessories bearing the names of more than two dozen brands, among them Chanel, Dior, Hermes, Prada, Balenciaga, Cartier, Fendi, Miu Miu, Nike, Adidas, and Tiffany & Co.
Private brand investigators examined all seized merchandise and confirmed it was counterfeit. They estimated the total retail value of the items, had they been authentic, at approximately $1.7 million.
Perez-Labrada was not arrested on the day of the search. According to the affidavit, she had recently undergone major surgery and was wearing visible medical bandages; detectives informed her an arrest would follow at a later date. She was taken into custody five weeks later at her workplace in Miami Lakes.
At a bond court appearance, the judge found probable cause for the charge and noted it was not the defendant's first such case. Perez-Labrada was granted a $7,500 bond; as of Wednesday afternoon, it was not known whether she had posted it.
Source: Google News CA — Crime (EN)