Trafficking Admitted By Dealer Phoney Honda Airbags Delivered As Night Lights

An Ohio used-car dealer pleaded guilty to installing counterfeit Chinese airbags into customer vehicles while misrepresenting them as genuine Honda parts. With the defendant facing up to ten years in prison, the primary concern remains the safety of motorists driving cars potentially equipped with these lethal, defective devices.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 35-year-old John Bojorquez has pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking in counterfeit goods. Prosecutors allege that between August 2024 and May 2025, the defendant trafficked at least 44 airbags, falsely representing them as genuine Honda components. In August 2024, Customs and Border Protection officers at Chicago O’Hare International Airport intercepted a shipment containing 20 of these counterfeit units, which were illicitly labeled as “desktop night lights” on shipping documentation.

The supplier sent four more shipments labeled as “desktop night lights”. While it remains unclear if they cleared customs, a May 2025 search of JB Ohio Auto Sale uncovered several counterfeit airbags hidden inside a clothes hamper.

Questions remain about which Honda models are affected, how many counterfeit airbags were installed, and if any injuries occurred. While the defendant admitted to trafficking at least 44 airbags, the total number of affected vehicles is unknown. The NHTSA warns these airbags pose a severe safety risk, as they may fail to deploy or eject lethal shrapnel.

Bojorquez faces up to 10 years in prison. Customers who purchased vehicles from JB Auto Sale should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 888-529-2820 to check for counterfeit airbags, which pose a severe, often undetectable safety risk.

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