Kane flea market vendor charged in counterfeiting scheme

St. Charles police say they have little room left for evidence storage after seizing more than 1,000 pieces of counterfeit sports merchandise from a Kane County Flea Market vendor.

Giovanni Tlatempa, 31, of Elgin, was arrested Sunday morning at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles after police received a tip from a private investigator hired by the National Football League, authorities said.

St. Charles police spokesman Paul McCurtain said officers confiscated 1,114 items from Tlatempa's booth, including counterfeit jerseys for all of the major Chicago sports teams and other wares.

"There was enough that it filled up two of our evidence sheds," McCurtain said.

Tlatempa, of the 600 block of Illinois Avenue, was charged with violating the Counterfeit Trademark Act, a Class 2 felony punishable by up to seven years in prison, authorities said.

He was taken to bond call Monday afternoon, where Kane County Judge James C. Hallock set bail at $50,000. Tlatempa would need to pay $5,000 to be released.

His next court date is Oct. 18.