Tourists, beware: proposed law would make it crime to buy knockoffs in NYC

Buyers could face a year in jail or a $,1000 fine under a proposed bill by a city councilwoman fed up with cheapskate tourists and Big Apple residents flooding her district in search of fake designer merchandise.

“We don’t want to be known as the place to come to get counterfeit goods,” said Councilwoman Margaret Chin, whose Chinatown district is ground zero for counterfeiters.

Under Chin’s bill, which is being introduced Thursday, shoppers caught buying any counterfeit product could be jailed or slapped with a fine of $1,000 — a little less than the price of Marc Jacobs’ frequently copied Baroque Quilting Mini Stam bag, which retails for $1,250.

… The punishment might seem draconian, but it’s necessary to curb the growing problem, she said.She pointed out that the money that counterfeiters rake in often funds other nefarious activities, such as terrorism and unsafe child-labor practices.

But try telling that to bargain hunters.

Christine Gambino, 21, of Staten Island — who was in Chinatown yesterday sporting a fake Louis Vuitton handbag that cost her $40 — vowed to continue to hit the neighborhood for counterfeit goodies.

“I’ll take a risk and sacrifice to look good and pay less,” she said.