Fake Yeti Sales At Will County Fair Lead To Arrest: Sheriff

PEOTONE, IL — A Florida man is charged with selling fraudulent Yeti products at the Will County Fair. Robin Dana Perry, 72, of the 900 block of Lucky Lane in The Villages, Florida, has been charged with counterfeiting/imitating a trademark, a class 2 felony, and is also being investigated by Homeland Security, the sheriff's office said.

An investigator from Yeti inspected items for sale at the county fair and found them to be counterfeit, according to authorities.

Deputies working at the Will County Fairgrounds Aug. 22 in Peotone Township were approached by multiple citizens who were concerned about the authenticity of a Yeti tumbler being sold at a Yeti booth, police said.

Yeti sells high-end outdoor lifestyle products like tumblers, coolers, mugs and other products.

A few of the deputies who were knowledgeable about Yeti products looked at the booth and also became suspicious, the sheriff's office said. Deputies then contacted a representative from Yeti, who said they would send a trained investigator to the fair the next day to authenticate the merchandise.

Police said they were also told by Yeti that the business only allows their products to be sold by approved retailers in brick and mortar locations. The products are not authorized to be sold at county fairs.

On Aug. 23, the sheriff's office said deputies met with the Yeti investigator and a senior special agent from Homeland Security. The Yeti investigator viewed the products at the booth and saw several fraudulent issues with the booth and the products.

The special agent then approached the booth, and purchased two tumblers for a total of $45 and spoke to Perry. The sheriff's office said during that discussion, Perry showed the agent a fraudulent sign and certificate of authenticity stating he was an authorized dealer. Perry told the agent he lives in Florida and operates 10 booths that sell Yeti merchandise.

Police said Perry told the agent he purchases in large volume directly from China so he can offer a lower price. He reportedly told authorities he has been in the Yeti business for the past 10 years.

Deputies met with the Homeland Security agent and the Yeti investigator, who examined the purchased tumblers and confirmed that they were not authentic. Police said several issues were identified, such as an American Patriot theme that is not a real Yeti design, as well as font size, printing color, quality and packaging.

According to police, Perry was then asked to come speak to the investigative team. During that interview, he told police he has sold Yeti products for the past several years at surrounding county fairs. He said he made $12,000 at the Boone County Fair, and has also sold the products at county fairs in DuPage, Kendall and DeKalb counties.

Perry also told police he had averaged $900 in sales the first two days at the Will County Fair. He said in the past three years, his gross sales were close to $1 million. According to police, Perry also said that he used various Illinois addresses to ship the products in from China.

Perry was arrested and taken into custody. Police said they seized cashier's checks, cash, a 2014 Ford van, more than 1,600 phony Yeti tumblers, boxes of miscellaneous fake Yeti accessories and exhibition booth signage. Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies are continuing their investigation into the suspected fraudulent actions of Perry.

Perry's bond was set at $25,000, and he posted bond on Aug. 24 and was released.