Mike Korpi wanted some trinkets for his children and grandchildren from his trip to China, so he spent $14.40 for eight junky knockoff Rolex watches.

Customs agents had no problem with the one on his wrist, but had issues with the other seven they found in his bag, and seized them.

File photo

An example of a real Rolex watch

Korpi says he understood the confiscation and thought it was the end of the matter.

For months the U.S. Department of Homeland Security tried reaching Korpi through letters to his former wife. They tried calling him. Korpi says he thought they were trying to return the watches.

Wrong. They wanted to fine him $55,300 for bringing in counterfeit goods.

"I about hit the floor," he told The Oregonian newspaper.

"I said, `You gotta be joking.' I figured someone had missed a decimal point."

Wrong again.

Rolex is a protected trademark. He said the fine was based on the value of the suggested retail price of genuine Rolexes.

Korpi, 55, a Forest Grove race car mechanic, said he figured that if the government garnished his wages he would be paying until he is 67.

But, wrong again.

Late Wednesday, after the story appeared on the Willamette Week Web site and then in The Oregonian, Korpi got a brief letter from the customs agency saying the fine was canceled and the case closed.

Korpi, who has been to China four times in recent years to visit his girlfriend, a tattoo artist, said he hadn't slept in five days and was looking forward to some rest.

Before the letter arrived, Peter Heuser, who runs an intellectual property rights firm in Portland, said he had never

heard of such a bite for eight watches and said the fine seemed more fit for someone trafficking such goods. He predicted, though, that the fine might drop once Korpi met with customs officials.

Korpi said the watches were junk. The crystal fell off one in his bag and the one he wore broke three weeks later. He said he left it at a bar.

"These are cheap junk from a dollar store-type deal. They are so obviously fake," he said "You couldn't have gotten five or 10 bucks for them on the street."