A YouTuber sold Air Jordan knockoffs — and owed Nike $8 million

Omar Carrasquillo, known online as Omi in a Hellcat, was a Philadelphia-based YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers. Through his company Reloaded Merch LLC, he sold sneakers that closely resembled Nike's Air Jordan 1 and Dunk designs, replacing the Swoosh with a lightning-bolt logo. The shoes were manufactured in China and marketed through social media, riding the sneaker-hype wave.

In December 2022, Nike filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Carrasquillo and Reloaded Merch in the Southern District of New York, alongside co-defendant Kool Kiy (BY KIY LLC). Nike accused both brands of promoting, copying, and selling lookalike versions of its most protected sneaker designs, and named their shared Chinese manufacturer Xiamen Wandering Planet as a facilitator.

Carrasquillo responded publicly on Instagram but failed to mount a legal defense. In April 2024, Judge Victor Marrero entered an $8 million default judgment against him and Reloaded Merch. A default judgment means the defendant did not contest the claims, so the court accepted Nike's allegations and damages estimate as uncontested.

The $8 million figure was eight times what co-defendant Kool Kiy paid in a consent judgment for the same alleged infringement. The difference was participation: Kool Kiy showed up to court and settled; Carrasquillo did not.