NCDOT employee pleads guilty to counterfeit airbag operation. Here’s how it worked
An N.C. Department of Transportation engineer pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to his part in an international counterfeit airbag scheme.
Mateen Mohammad Alinaghian, 31, of Raleigh imported at least 2,500 fake airbags into the city from the United Kingdom between May 2022 and April 2024, according to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The airbags were advertised as being manufactured by major brands like Honda, Chevrolet, General Motors and Toyota.
Alinaghian used two profiles to sell the counterfeit airbags on Facebook Marketplace, according to the release. Local and online buyers purchased the bags, leading to at least $154,693 in profit for Alinaghian, court documents show.
Testing by Honda, General Motors and Toyota found the steering wheel airbags Alighanian sold “often included materials of lesser quality,” the release states.
“In testing, the counterfeit airbags often malfunctioned, either not fully inflating or inflating late — posing a potentially serious risk of injury to the vehicle driver,” the release states.
At least 20 fake airbags were seized from Alighanian’s home, and Customs and Border Control intercepted multiple packages en route from the United Kingdom, according to the release.
The investigation also led to the arrest of three men in London in September after a series of search warrants, the City of London Police said. Two warrants were executed at homes in east London and a third was carried out at a garage in the city, according to their release.
“A total of 500 counterfeit airbags and an estimated £140,000 (about $152,000 U.S.) in cash were seized across all three premises,” police said. “Police dogs found £110,000 of this wrapped in [diapers] and hidden inside a wall cavity at one of the residential properties. The remaining £30,000 was found in wardrobes at the same property.”
The men’s names were not released, and the investigation abroad continues. British investigators said they believed the airbags had been imported into the UK from China and sold for as little as £25 (about $27 U.S.)
Dangers of faulty air bags
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration put out an alert in July warning that three people had been killed and two seriously injured within the past year from “faulty aftermarket replacement air bag inflators,” many manufactured abroad.
“These dangerous aftermarket parts malfunctioned in subsequent crashes, sending large metal fragments into drivers’ chests, necks, eyes and faces, killing or severely injuring drivers in otherwise survivable crashes,” the alert states.
Anyone who suspects they’ve purchased a counterfeit airbag should consult a dealership for their car manufacturer or a reputable mechanic, officials said. Those who believe they purchased a faulty airbag from Alinaghian or were injured or otherwise impacted by his dealings should contact Homeland Security Investigations at 919-677-6392.
“Selling and using counterfeit car airbags can have dangerous consequences,” said N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall in the release. “Our strong partnerships with the brand holders and law enforcement was crucial to uncovering this serious threat and taking them off the market may have saved lives.”
