Bloomberg Sends Knockoff Nikes to New Orleans

City officials have struck a deal with several well-known clothing designers that will send thousands of pieces of counterfeit apparel to Hurricane Katrina victims. Reporter Ginger Otis has more.

Millions of dollars worth of fake brand-name items have been languishing in lock-up since being grabbed in police raids over the past two years.

Normally the t-shirts, sweat suits and jackets made by Rocawear, Phat Farm and Nike would be destroyed, but Mayor Bloomberg, peaking yesterday at a fashion industry summit on counterfeiting, said the city had successfully persuaded the designers to let the knockoffs be distributed to hurricane victims instead.

A Nike spokesman said the company usually frowns on distribution of cheap knockoffs masquerading as brand name products but was willing to make an exception for a good cause.