Raleigh Man Sentenced for Selling Dangerous Counterfeit Car Airbags

NEW BERN, N.C. – On September 30, a federal judge sentenced a Raleigh man to one year and a day for importing and selling thousands of counterfeit car airbags into the Raleigh area over the past two years. The defendant, Mateen Mohammad Alinaghian, 31, sold the counterfeit airbags locally and to online buyers through Facebook Marketplace.  The court also ordered Alinaghian to pay restitution in the amount of $83,405.95 to the victims who unknowingly purchased a counterfeit airbag, and to the car manufacturers, and forfeit $154,693.16.

“Selling fake airbags recklessly puts our citizens in danger,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “This sentence makes clear that we do not tolerate criminals who endanger drivers on our roads. We will keep working with our partners to take these threats off the streets and out of our cars.”

“Unregulated and untested counterfeit airbags threaten the safety of the traveling public and place unsuspecting consumers at significant risk,” said Greg Thompson, Special Agent-in-Charge, Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General, Mid-Atlantic Region. “Today’s sentencing underscores DOT-OIG’s commitment to working with our law enforcement and prosecutorial partners to keep these dangerous products out of the nation’s vehicles and off our roads”

“This case spotlights the serious consumer health and safety dangers posed by many counterfeit products like fake vehicle airbags and exemplifies the importance of interagency cooperation in protecting public safety and bringing counterfeiters to justice,” said Secretary of State Elaine Marshall.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Alinaghian, imported approximately 2,500 counterfeit air bags into Raleigh between May 2022 and April 2024.  Alinaghian imported airbags with counterfeit markings of Honda, Chevrolet, General Motors, and Toyota, from a supplier in the United Kingdom.  Alinaghian then sold the counterfeit airbags to unsuspecting customers using the Facebook Marketplace seller profile of “Matt AutoParts” or “Medo Smith” to advertise and sell the counterfeit airbags.  

According to testing done by Honda, General Motors, and Toyota, the steering wheel airbags obtained and sold by Alinaghian were not manufactured by the car companies and often included materials of lesser quality. In testing, the counterfeit airbags often malfunctioned, either not fully inflating or worse, inflating late – posing a potentially serious risk of injury to the vehicle driver.

The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General.  The investigation included a search of Alinaghian’s house, which resulted in the seizure of approximately 20 counterfeit airbags, and multiple seizures by Customs and Border Control of in-bound packages from the United Kingdom containing counterfeit airbags en route to Alinaghian. 

After identifying that Alinaghian was importing the counterfeit airbags from a source in the United Kingdom, HSI contacted law enforcement abroad.  As a result, the City of London Police’s Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PICU) executed a search warrant on September 19, 2024, PICU officers searched two residential and one business address and seized a total of 500 counterfeit airbags and an estimated £140,000 in cash.  Three men were arrested on suspicion of fraud by false representation, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to distribute counterfeit goods. The UK investigation is still ongoing.   

Although not specifically linked to this case, according to a consumer alert published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), three people in the U.S. were killed and two people suffered injuries from September 2023 to July 2024 as a result of their vehicles being fitted with substandard replacement airbags.

Individuals who suspect they purchased a counterfeit airbag should consult their brand’s dealership or a reputable mechanic to determine if the parts need to be replaced, and report it to their local Homeland Security Investigations office or submit an online complaint to the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Haughton prosecuted the case. The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) led the investigation, along with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, with assistance from the N.C. Secretary of State Trademark Enforcement Division or Anti-Counterfeit Task Force.

Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-00013-FL.