Mexican duo indicted for running fake airbag business

Two illegal aliens from Mexico could face up to 10 years in jail after being charged with trafficking in counterfeit vehicle airbags.

Siblings Dina Gonzalez-Marquez (23) and Emilio Gonzalez-Marquez (21) were arrested at the their Albuquerque, New Mexico, residence last week by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents and appeared in federal court on a three-count indictment charging them with conspiring to traffic in counterfeit goods between January 2015 and March 2017, as well as two counts of trafficking in counterfeits .

The pair are accused of listing and selling counterfeit airbag modules and airbag covers online, shipping the counterfeit goods to purchasers, and conducting in-person sales of the counterfeit goods. Undercover HSI special agents say they purchased counterfeit airbagsfrom the defendants on two occasions.

Waldemar Rodriguez, special agent in charge of HSI El Paso, said: "Selling counterfeit life-saving devices, such as airbags and airbag components, is an act of reckless disregard for the safety and well-being of others. HSI’s efforts and pursuit of these criminal enterprises will no doubt help save lives."

If convicted of the charges in the indictment, Dina Gonzalez-Marquez and Emilio Gonzalez-Marquez each face a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $2m.