Man arrested in sale of counterfeit "Beats by Dr. Dre" headphones

A Jackson man was arraigned Thursday after being charged with selling counterfeit Dr. Dre headphones, according to a news release from the Jackson Police Department.

Michael Milliken Jr., of Jackson, was charged with use of a counterfeit mark or logo over $1,000 (Tennessee Code Annotated 39-14-152), the release said. The code is graded the same as theft so over $1,000 is a felony charge. The value is determined as the retail value of the legitimate product or in this case, approximately $2,700. Milliken was arraigned in Jackson City Court Thursday morning and a $3,000 bond was set. An initial court date was set for March 21.

According to the release, Jackson Police investigators were recently contacted by a citizen about being sold counterfeit merchandise. He explained that he found an ad on Craigslist offering “Beats by Dr. Dre” studio headphones for sale. He contacted the person who had them listed and purchased a set.

Afterwards, he observed they appeared cheaply made, the release said. Working with the manufacturer, they were determined to be counterfeit, cheaply made fakes made to resemble the real product "Beats By Dr. Dre."

The release said the citizen agreed to set up another purchase and this time, he was accompanied by Jackson-Area Law Enforcement Retailer Team (J-ALERT) investigators. When the seller showed up, he offered for sale the same product previously determined counterfeit. Investigators examined them and determined they were also counterfeit. Milliken was taken into custody. Investigators also found eight more pairs of the counterfeit headphones in his vehicle.

The release said the Jackson Police Department urges citizens to take care when purchasing or conducting business on internet bulletin boards.