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Emiliano Rodriguez, a 45-year-old Dominican national living in Philly, copped to one count of trafficking counterfeit goods and two more related counts in federal court on Thursday, Feb. 9, said US Attorney Jacqueline Romero.
From January 2017 to October 2019, investigators say Rodriguez was importing defective, counterfeit airbags from China and installing them in used vehicles before turning around and putting them back on the market.
The practice, prosecutors said, allowed the mechanic to increase his profit margin by saving big on parts. But the counterfeit components don't meet federal safety standards and put drivers and others on the road in serious danger, Romero wrote.
"Counterfeit airbags are playing Russian roulette with the lives of unsuspecting consumers," she said. "The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that counterfeits have consistently been shown to malfunction. Emiliano Rodriguez peddled these airbags for profit, knowing lives would be at risk."
Drivers who want to know more, or who are concerned they may have a counterfeit airbag, can visit the NHTSA webpage on airbag fraud.
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