Ohio Dealer Admits Trafficking at Least 44 Counterfeit Honda Airbags

Fake Airbags

JB Ohio Auto Sale, LLC, is a dealer based in Galloway, and its owner, John Bojorquez, has recently pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking in counterfeit goods. The goods in question were fake airbags from a manufacturer in China, which Bojorquez claimed were Honda airbags for vehicles he sold at his dealership.

The feds nabbed Bojorquez by intercepting a package addressed to him in August 2024 at Chicago O’Hare International Airport. The shipment from China contained 20 counterfeit airbags, and the boxes were falsely labeled as “desktop night lights.”

“Desktop Night Lights”

Investigators traced other packages back to their source in China, where they discovered four additional similar shipments of counterfeit Honda airbags sent out in August 2024. The kicker is that all of the shipments were also labeled “desktop night lights,” or “blue desktop nightlights.”

Once law enforcement had an address, it obtained and executed a search warrant at JB Ohio Auto Sale in May 2025. The search was successful because law enforcement seized multiple counterfeit airbags, some of which were piled in a clothes hamper and covered with a towel, according to the report.

Guilty

The evidence was literally piling up against Bojorquez. His name and business were on the shipping manifests, and the counterfeit products in his establishment essentially backed him into a corner.

In the end, Bojorquez admitted to trafficking at least 44 counterfeit airbags from August 2024 to May 2025. As a result, he could face up to 10 years in jail for trafficking in counterfeit goods. However, the court will still determine his sentence based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors at a future hearing.

The Dangers of Fake Safety Equipment

Over a decade ago, the industry went into a wild panic because the Takata Corporation had shipped millions of faulty airbag modules in its cars. The rest of the automotive industry that got products from them had to spend several thousand truckloads of cash to fix the problem.

While it’s one thing for a major company to fail in that area, the risks become even greater with counterfeits. In the same report from the United States Attorney’s Office, it cited the NHTSA’s consumer safety advisories, stating that counterfeit airbags are prone to consistent failures and non-deployment and/or expulsion of metal shrapnel during deployment. Defective airbags from China have also been linked to fatalities, so choosing one is hardly a good idea.

Furthermore, the report also extended a helpline for anyone affected by JB Auto Sale’s actions. If you’ve been to the dealer and suspect that your vehicle has a counterfeit airbag, you can reach out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.