Ohio car dealership owner accused of importing counterfeit airbags enters plea

Airbag exploded at a car accident
Ohio car dealership owner accused of importing counterfeit airbags enters plea FILE PHOTO. (Dmitry Vereshchagin - stock.adobe.com)

COLUMBUS — An Ohio car dealership owner who was accused of importing counterfeit airbags from China has entered a plea.

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John Bojorquez, 35, of Columbus, pleaded guilty in federal court to trafficking in counterfeit goods.

Bojorquez was accused of importing counterfeit airbags from China, claiming they were Honda airbags, for vehicles he sold at his auto dealership, JB Ohio Auto Sale, LLC.

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According to court documents, in August 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Chicago O’Hare International Airport seized 20 counterfeit Honda airbags that were sent from China.

The boxes were falsely described as containing “desktop night lights” and were addressed to Bojorquez at JB Ohio Auto Sale in Galloway, Ohio.

The same shipper in China sent four additional similar shipments of counterfeit Honda Airbags in August 2024, each labeled as “desktop night lights” or “blue desktop nightlights.”

When law enforcement executed a search warrant at JB Ohio Auto Sale in May 2025, they seized multiple counterfeit airbags, some of which were piled in a clothes hamper and covered by a towel.

Bojorquez admitted to intentionally trafficking in at least 44 counterfeit airbags from August 2024 until May 2025.

Trafficking in counterfeit goods is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

If you own a vehicle purchased from JB Auto Sale with a suspected counterfeit airbag, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office by calling 888-529-2820.

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