ABC News, Washington, DC 

May 23, 2002

COUNTERFEIT TERRORISM

ANNCR: TONIGHT, AN EIGHT-MONTH I-TEAM INVESTIGATION HAS UNCOVERED EVIDENCE THAT KNOCK-OFF GUCCI BAGS OR FAKE ROLEX WATCHES COULD BE PUTTING MONEY IN THE HANDS OF OSAMA BIN LADEN.

TERRORISM'S COUNTERFEIT CONNECTION FIRST SURFACED FOLLOWING THE FIRST WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK, AND TONIGHT AS THE I-TEAM'S DEL WALTERS SHOWS US, SINCE THEN THE COUNTERFEIT TERRORISM TRAIL HAS GROWN EVEN HOTTER. 

WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING AT IS THE BOTTOM LINE IN THE MULTIBILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY OF BOOTLEGGING.

A KNOCK OFF NIGHTMARE THAT NOW HAS PROVEN TIES TO TERRORISM.

Michael G. Kessler, Kessler International Investigations: "We have a couple of ongoing investigations where we have been able to link the sale of counterfeit products into terrorist operations."

AN EIGHT-MONTH I-TEAM INVESTIGATION HAS UNCOVERED EVIDENCE THAT LONG BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11TH, FEDERAL OFFICIALS HAD ALREADY UNCOVERED EVIDENCE THAT INTERNATIONAL COUNTERFEITING CARTELS HAD TERRORIST TIES.

CONCRETE LINKS THAT SURFACED DURING THE FIRST ATTEMPT ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER.

Roslyn A. Mazer, Fmr. Assoc. Deputy Attorney General: "I think there is more and more evidence throughout the nineties right up to the events of September 11th that have suggested very strongly that some terrorist groups are profiting from commercial scale pirating and counterfeiting."

LOOSELY TRANSLATED, THAT BOGUS BAG MAY BE BOOSTING BIN LANDEN'S BOUNTY.

IN FACT, THE LIST OF NATIONS SPONSORING COUNTERFEITING READS LIKE A WHO'S WHO OF AL QAIDA COOPERATIVES. INDONESIA, PAKISTAN, COLUMBIA AND KOREA. IT IS, OFFICIALS SAY, MORE THAN COINCIDENCE.

Mazer: "In fact, eight of the ten countries identified by major business software groups as the worst piracy havens in the world have links to bin Laden and his network."

IT IS ALSO DEADLY. WITH COUNTERFEITERS TIED TO MURDER, DRUGS, AND YES NOW TERRORISM.

DESPITE THAT, JUST ONE MONTH AFTER THE ATTACK ON THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, THE I-TEAM FOUND VENDORS IN NEW YORK SELLING SYMBOLS OF PATRIOTISM THAT COULD EASILY HAVE HAD TERRORIST TIES.

Del Walters: "Why does it say 'God Bless America' on this side, 'Made in China' on the other side, and then we have the Twin Towers made in Korea?"

Street vendor: "Well, I guess it's all business... stuff just to make money."

AND AS FOR THIS "UNITED WE STAND" STICKER SOLD IN NEW YORK. IT WAS MADE IN KOREA.

NOT TO BE OUTDONE, WE FOUND THESE BOGUS BUSH-CHENEY BAGS BEING HAWKED ON THE STREETS OF D.C. THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: PAKISTAN.

THE SAME PAKISTAN THAT IS BELIEVED TO STILL BE HIDING ASSOCIATES OF AL QAIDA.

Kessler: "According to published reports, many countries on the perimeter of Afghanistan that are said to have cells connected to the al Qaida network are also not coincidentally countries that have soaring piracy rates."

Del Walters: "That's a knock-off."

Street vendor: "That's not a knock-off. It is a Chinese company, and instead of writing 'Rolex,' they write 'Bolex.'"

SO WE DECIDED TO ASK VENDORS IF THEY HAD PROBLEMS SELLING SOMETHING THAT COULD ULTIMATELY HAVE THEM SELLING OUT.

Street vendor: "We buy this from the wholesaler."

Del Walters: "But what if the wholesaler is buying this from a group that promotes terrorism?"

Street vendor: "This is not my problem."

Del Walters: "So we got Bangladesh, we got Korea, we got Cambodia, we got Vietnam. Are you worried that the proceeds from anything you sell could go to terrorists?"

Street vendor: "No."

Del Walters: "What if I told you that's what they now believe... that Osama bin Laden is getting his money from knock-offs like the ones you sell?"

Street vendor: "I don't think so."

IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE SOMETHING SO SIMPLE COULD PRODUCE AN END RESULT LIKE THIS.

SADLY, BEFORE SEPTEMBER 11TH, NO ONE BELIEVED BOX CUTTERS COULD BRING DOWN SKYSCRAPERS. FOR THE I-TEAM IN NEW YORK, I'M DEL WALTERS, ABC 7 NEWS.

Anchor: YOU MAY RECALL RIGHT AFTER SEPTEMBER 11TH, COUNTERFEIT T-SHIRTS CROPPED UP IN PAKISTAN WITH OSAMA BIN LADEN'S PICTURE ON THEM. FEDERAL SOURCES TELL THE I-TEAM THE SAME PEOPLE WHO PRINTED THOSE SHIRTS PRINT BOOTLEG T-SHIRTS HERE IN THE U.S.