MIRAMAR, FL (NBC) - A Florida handbag vendor who went to police after realizing he was paid with counterfeit money found himself under arrest instead. It turns out that the purses that the 55-year-old vendor peddled were phonies. Joseph Reese was arrested by Miramar Police on Monday, charged with possession of counterfeit products. According to police, Reese came to them after he received two $100 bills from a buyer who was interested in some of the high-end products he was selling, including Gucci and Dooney & Bourke handbags, as well as designer sunglasses and wallets. Reese had been selling the bags out of his car. Police said that when they pressed Reese, he admitted the handbags and other accessories were, in fact, fakes. Reese was arrested and released Tuesday on $3,500 bond. "I didn't know it was illegal," he said after his release. "That's why I called police." Reese vehemently denied committing a crime. He said he did not know the merchandise was counterfeit, and he was selling it to make an income. Reese's wife Gloria also said she did not know it was a crime. "If I'm ordering them from China online, why are they illegal?" she asked. "We don't do illegal stuff, and we didn't just go somewhere and smuggle them in." Authorities confiscated almost 50 bags. The merchandise would retail at close to $50,000 if the items weren't designer rip-offs.
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