A Long Island man has been arrested for allegedly selling over $2 million worth of counterfeit Nintendo and Pokémon products through Amazon, with bad customer reviews playing a key role in alerting investigators.
Isaac Lapidus, 34, of Lawrence, New York, is accused of operating the scheme out of a warehouse in Island Park since 2018. He now faces charges of trademark counterfeiting and conspiracy, which carry a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison if convicted.
The investigation began after Nintendo examined items returned to Amazon and confirmed they were fake. “They said these are all counterfeit — 100%, no Nintendo parts at all,” said Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly.
Prosecutors claim Lapidus used several Amazon storefronts, including PandaVida Inc., Unibabe, ABC of product, This Too Shall Pass, and Zuzu Cares 4 U (later renamed ArminStore), to sell the knockoff merchandise. Authorities say that from 2018 until the recent raid, Lapidus sold more than 200,000 fake Nintendo Switch docking stations, 10,000 dock adapters, and 15,700 Pokémon Go Plus+ accessories.
The counterfeit goods reportedly included incorrect serial numbers, invalid product codes, and even misspelled Japanese characters, which made them easier to identify.
During a raid of the Island Park warehouse, investigators seized dozens of boxes filled with fake products, including Switch docks, Pokémon Go Plus devices, and Cool Baby HD games. Amazon has since verified the items as counterfeit and removed all associated listings. The company also emphasized its zero-tolerance policy for counterfeit sales and has blocked all seller accounts linked to Lapidus.
Lapidus pleaded not guilty in court and was released under supervised conditions without bail.
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