Miami-Dade County

Miami man, 71, accused of selling large amounts of stolen and counterfeit eyewear

Jorge Julian Herrera, 71, was arrested Monday on charges of grand theft and vending of counterfeit goods, Miami-Dade jail records showed

NBC Universal, Inc.

Jorge Julian Herrera, 71, was arrested Monday on charges of grand theft and vending of counterfeit goods, Miami-Dade jail records showed.

A Miami man has been arrested after authorities said he was selling large amounts of stolen and counterfeit eyewear out of his home.

Jorge Julian Herrera, 71, was arrested Monday on charges of grand theft and vending of counterfeit goods, Miami-Dade jail records showed.

Watch NBC6 free wherever you are

Watch button  WATCH HERE

According to an arrest warrant, the victim is EssilorLuxottica, an eyewear conglomerate that includes the brands Ray-Ban and Oakley.

Jorge Julian Herrera
Miami-Dade Corrections
Jorge Julian Herrera

Get local news you need to know to start your day with NBC 6's News Headlines newsletter.

Newsletter button  SIGN UP

Beginning in 2020, the company was the victim of numerous commercial burglaries at retail stores involving millions of dollars worth of eyewear being stolen.

In late 2020, some of the stolen eyewear began appearing for sale on eBay from the seller "Eye Avenue Inc."

"Eye Avenue Inc." had been registered with the Florida Department of Corporations in 2014, and Herrera was listed as the only owner, the warrant said.

Investigators learned Herrera had previously worked for Luxottica as a wholesaler but was fired for violating office policies, the warrant said.

The company hadn't delivered any eyewear to Herrera since his firing, and he should not have had any Luxottica eyewear in his inventory to sell, the warrant said.

In 2021, authorities started purchasing eyewear from Herrera's website. The eyewear was in brand new condition with original manufacturing tags attached.

Using the tags, authorities confirmed they were authentic and had been stolen in the burglaries, the warrant said.

Authorities in September 2022 executed a search warrant at Herrera's home where he operated his business from and found 240 pairs of stolen Luxottica eyewear valued at $36,000, the warrant said.

They also found 150 pairs of eyewear that had counterfeit Luxottica trademarks, the warrant said.

Authorities said documents seized during the search detailed Herrera's purchase of over $223,000 worth Luxottica eyewear from 2021 to 2022 from a company at well below market value.

Investigators also found communications on Herrera's phone with the owner of the other company about buying eyewear at prices below market value and about buying counterfeit eyewear made in China, the warrant said.

The warrant was issued earlier this month for Herrera's arrest and he was arrested at his home on Monday before he was booked into jail.

Herrera appeared in court Tuesday where his attorney said his family had already posted his $15,000 bond.

The warrant didn't say whether the owner of the other company was facing charges.

Contact Us