Officials with the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agency announced this week that they had seized $1.4 million worth of fake vehicle inspection certifications in Pennsylvania that were shipped from Israel.
Why It Matters
"Pennsylvania law requires that motor vehicles be inspected annually to ensure compliance with minimum motor vehicle mechanical, safety and emissions standards," CBP stated.
CBP added that vehicle owners who know that their vehicle might need costly repairs to pass state inspection may resort to buying a less expensive counterfeit inspection sticker. The agency warned that people caught purchasing counterfeit inspection stickers face a penalty of up to $500 and potential jail time.
What To Know
Customs officials discovered the counterfeit stickers in two separate shipments, which arrived on November 26 and December 9. The agency confirmed their authenticity with Pennsylvania authorities, determining the stickers were fake.
In a statement released Thursday, the agency did not disclose who shipped the stickers, their intended recipient, or their purpose.
According to CBP, the fake documents were shipped from Israel to Philadelphia.
"The fake inspection stickers were assessed at $1,404,700, had they been authentic," CBP said.
On November 26, officers seized a package containing 10,000 fake documents, and another package was seized on December 9 that held12,000 fake vehicle inspection certificates.
"Pennsylvania authorities confirmed that the vehicle inspection stickers were counterfeit, and CBP officers seized the stickers on December 16," CBP said. "Vehicle owners who know that their vehicle would require costly repairs to pass inspection may resort to purchasing a counterfeit inspection sticker at a discount, but if they are caught, face a penalty of up to $500 and potential jail time."
The sale of counterfeit vehicle inspection stickers remains an ongoing challenge for law enforcement, though it occurs on a relatively small scale.
In October, the Houston Police Department arrested Emmanuel Dayah after he was accused of creating fake vehicle inspection stickers, the Fox-affiliated station KRIV in Houston reported.
Dayah allegedly completed over 200 vehicle inspections in a month span, and only half were considered as "safety-only tests," KRIV reported.
"There were hazards with the vehicle, whether it's emissions standards, or there's a mechanical issue. Having those vehicles on the roadway causes a problem not only for that driver but the other people on the roadway with them," Ken Nealy, vice president of the Houston Police Officers' Union, said in October.
What People Are Saying
Cleatus P. Hunt, Jr., CBP's Area Port Director for the Area Port of Philadelphia, said in a statement: "Unscrupulous actors peddling fraudulent vehicle inspection stickers create a very serious public safety concern. Fake inspection stickers mask unsafe motor vehicles that place all motorists on our roadways in harm."
Hunt added, "Customs and Border Protection officers will continue to seize illicit and illegal products that could be harmful to consumers and the public when we encounter them.
What's Next
No arrests have been made in connection with the case, officials said. CBP could release further information into the incident in the coming days and weeks.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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