Federal authorities arrested a suspect February 2 following a years-long investigation of counterfeit vehicle airbag inflators that included seizures by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in 2019. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania is charging Emiliano Rodriguez, 44, a citizen of the Dominican Republic residing in Philadelphia, Pa., with […]
Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council Calls on eBay to Prohibit Sale of All Airbags
Group says the change is needed to reduce the availability of potentially deadly counterfeit airbags. The Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council, Inc. (A2C2), a leading voice in the fight against counterfeit automotive parts, is urging eBay to halt the sale of all supplemental restraint system (SRS) airbags and components on eBay.com, calling it the only effective way […]
Counterfeit Airbag Supplier Sentenced To Prison
Ohio man ordered to pay over $75,000 and serve one year in prison. U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced that David Nichols, 69, of Marysville, Ohio, who was convicted of conspiracy to traffic in counterfeit air bags, was sentenced to serve one year in prison and ordered to pay $75,846 in restitution by U.S. […]
Virginia Passes Legislation Prohibiting Counterfeit and Non-Functional Airbags
Virginia is the latest state to make the manufacturer, sale or installation of a counterfeit or non-functional airbag a crime. Virginia House Bill 2143 (HB 2143) was signed by Governor Northam on March 14. The bill, introduced in January, amends Chapter 392, Section 46.2-1088.3 of the Code of Virginia to provide that any person is […]
Missouri Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Airbags
A southwestern Missouri man pleaded guilty in federal court December 6 to a scheme to sell counterfeit automotive airbags and components online. This guilty plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the IRS – Criminal Investigation division. Aleksey Illyuk, 28, of Ozark, Mo., pleaded guilty […]
California Man Sentenced To Prison For Selling Counterfeit Airbags
Vitaliy Fedorchuk, 28, of Antelope, Calif., was sentenced by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller to one year and one day in prison and a $5,000 fine for an international scheme to sell counterfeit airbags via eBay and other internet sales sites, United States Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced. According to court documents, between […]
California Governor Signs Airbag Fraud Bill
Makes it illegal to knowingly manufacturer, sell or install a non-functioning airbag. On Tuesday, California Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2387 (AB2387) making that state the fourth this year to make it a crime to “manufacture, import, install, reinstall, distribute, sell, or offer for sale) a counterfeit or non-functioning airbag. Other states that have […]
Insurance Anti-Fraud Group Pushes for Passage of Pennsylvania Counterfeit Airbag Bill
The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud wants Commonwealth to approve legislation making it a crime to knowingly install a non-functioning airbag, protect consumers from “Shady repair shops” that install phony airbags. The Coalition Against Insurance Fraud, the alliance of consumers, government, anti-fraud agencies and insurance companies, is call on the Pennsylvania Senate to approve House Bill […]
Counterfeit Parts Panel Added to NACE
The Automobile Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition (A2C2) will host a panel discussion titled Put the Brakes on Fakes. The panel will discuss how the automotive industry and the U.S. Government are working to protect the safety and welfare of consumers and repair businesses. The panel discussion will take place Friday, August 12, 11:00 a.m. at the Central […]
Pennsylvania House of Representatives Approves Photo-Video Appraisal, Counterfeit Airbag Bills
Proposals to amend the Commonwealth’s 1972 Appraisers Act that requires physical inspections of collision damaged vehicles and make the sale an installation of non-functioning airbags illegal approved. Yesterday, two pieces of legislation touching upon the collision repair industry in Pennsylvania were approved by the Commonwealth’s House of Representatives in floor votes. House Bill 1638 (HB1638) […]