Counterfeit jeans have worked their way into metro wardrobes. Dozens of customers of a west Omaha boutique paid top dollar for name brands that were actually cheap imitations.

One Source Investigations was hired by the manufacturer of the pricey jeans to expose sales of counterfeit denim.

The Giving Tree Boutique featured True Religion jeans marked down from $216 to $78.

Employees of One Source asked a sales clerk if they were knock-offs and the clerk said, "They're not knock-offs. Our owner is a designer and she knows them and they gave her a really, really good deal."

Nicole Bovasso, who owns Togs, prices the genuine jeans at $216 compared to her competitor a block away which sold the counterfeits for $78.

Nicole says, "Then customers think they're getting the real jeans and then they wonder why I'm selling them for so much more money."

Bovasso says the expensive jeans look and feel like better denim compared to the counterfeits.

Six on Your Side sent the jeans in question to the California manufacturer and after examination, True Religion sent them back with a report detailing nine reasons why the jeans we purchased for $78 are counterfeit.

We took our findings to Kim Vasey, a part owner of the Giving Tree.

"I'm really sorry and my companies in general are sorry," she said.

Vasey says her sister, a clothes buyer, obtained most of the jeans from boutiques in other states that couldn't sell them.

Vasey says this was, "completely unintentional. We didn't mean to mislead any of you. We didn't mean to represent the vendors of the jeans in a negative light."

Giving Tree voluntarily turned 47 pairs of the counterfeit jeans over to the manufacturer's investigator, Nick Jasa.

Jasa says, "The manufacturer did tell them if they cooperate with the request of the cease and desist order they would not be prosecuted criminally."

The boutique will refund money to customers who return any of the imitations.

Vasey says, "Please bring them back. We'll make it right. We'll give you your money back and you'll receive a heartfelt apology."

The manufacturer of True Relgion denim says taking counterfeit name brands off store shelves means customers can have faith in the quality of the expensive jeans they buy.

The Giving Tree sent e-mail apologies and refund offers to approximately 1,100 frequent customers but the owner is unsure how many purchased the counterfeit jeans.