A New Baltimore, Mich. man has been charged with multiple felonies for allegedly selling counterfeit automotive restraint systems, including airbags, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced April 2. Dinas Kamaitis, 31, was arraigned on April 1 in the 37th District Court in Warren before Judge John M. Chmura. The charges represent the first case brought […]
Safety Awareness Campaign Warns About Counterfeit Airbags
Vehicle owners and drivers across the country should be on high alert for unsafe and potentially deadly counterfeit auto parts as the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center (IPR Center) launches its new campaign, “Put the Brakes on Fakes.” The campaign was launched with the support of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Customs and Border […]
Philadelphia Customs and Border Protection Seizes Nearly $200K in Counterfeit Collision Repair Parts from China
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a Philadelphia-bound shipment of counterfeit auto parts on March 27 that consisted of 177 pieces, including air bag covers, aluminum hoods, front fenders and bumpers, and badges bearing trademarked logos of Chevrolet, Buick, and Dodge. The counterfeit auto parts were valued at $196,035 manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP), […]
Philadelphia Auto Technician Pleads Guilty to Trafficking Hazardous Automobile Airbags from China
United States Attorney Jacqueline Romero announced that Emiliano Rodriguez, 45, a citizen of the Dominican Republic residing in Philadelphia, Pa. pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods, and two counts of causing the delivery of hazardous materials by air carrier in connection with a scheme to utilize counterfeit goods in used vehicles, […]
CBP Officers in Minneapolis Intercept Counterfeit GM Tire Pressure Monitoring Sensors
U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) officers in Minneapolis recently stopped two shipments that contained 300 counterfeit General Motors (GM) Brand Tire-Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). On May 30, CBP officers inspected a shipment arriving from Hong Kong to determine the admissibility of the shipment and its contents. Based on intelligence gathering and experience, officers suspected […]
Federal Authorities Arrest Philadelphia Man Who Allegedly Imported Counterfeit Airbags
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 […]
Philadelphia Customs and Border Protection Seizes Nearly $300k in Counterfeit Auto Parts from China
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Philadelphia, Pa. seized a counterfeit Chinese cache of vehicle parts on July 14 that were destined to an address in Feasterville-Trevose, Pa. The shipment arrived on June 4 and consisted of 5,657 pieces that included vehicle door locks, hinges, powered mirrors, steering wheel switches, headlights and taillights, grills, […]
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. […]
Auto Care Association Asks US Trade Rep to Relist Alibaba as Notorious Market for Counterfeit Auto Parts
Last week, the Auto Care Association submitted comments urging the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to relist Alibaba and its family of e-commerce platforms including Taobao and Aliexpress as notorious markets that facilitate the sale of counterfeit auto parts. The letter was submitted as part of the USTR’s request for comments in identifying […]