RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — A man who the U.S. Department of Justice said is "currently employed as an engineer with the N.C. Department of Transportation" pleaded guilty Monday to importing thousands of counterfeit car airbags into the Raleigh area and selling them both locally and online. Accordin g to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, 31-year-old Mateen Mohammad Alinaghian imported around 2,500 counterfeit airbags from a supplier in the United Kingdom into Raleigh between May 2022 and April 2024. The items had counterfeit markings of major auto manufacturers Honda, Chevrolet, General Motors and Toyota, according to documents and info presented in court. High Point dad in court for involuntary manslaughter charges related to daughter’s death The steering wheel airbags were then sold "to unsuspecting customers using Facebook Marketplace." Justice department officials said Alinaghian used the profile names of "Matt AutoParts" or "Medo Smith" on Facebook Marketplace to advertise and sell the items. Counterfeit airbags sold by an NCDOT engineer. (U.S. Department of Justice) Officials also said the airbags sold by Alinaghian were tested by Honda, General Motors and Toyota and were determined to be "not manufactured by the car companies, and often included materials of lesser quality". They "often malfunctioned" during the testing, the news release said, "posing a potentially serious risk of injury to the driver". "You could easily get scammed and think that you fixed your car for a deal, when in reality, you have installed something that's going to threaten your life," said Vincent Belmonte, the general manager of Epic Auto Center in Raleigh. "You have no way to know if these things are being manufactured correctly," Belmonte said. "Are they being tested at all? Does anyone who is putting these things together have any earthly idea what they're doing?" Man who killed convenience store clerk in Winston-Salem to be executed for 2nd murder in South Carolina The investigation into Alinaghian's scheme was led by the Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations unit along with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Office of the Inspector General. Alinaghian's home was searched during the investigation, in which about 20 counterfeit airbags were seized, the release said. The probe also resulted in "multiple seizures by Customs and Border Control of in-bound packages from the United Kingdom containing" the falsified items. Once they learned Alinaghian's supplier was in the UK, HSI contacted law enforcement there. According to the news release, the City of London Police's Intellectual Property Crime Unit executed a search warrant on two residential locations and one business on Sept. 19, 2024. Counterfeit airbags sold by an NCDOT engineer. (U.S. Department of Justice) That resulted in the seizure of 500 counterfeit airbags and approximately £140,000 in cash, as well as the arrest of three men suspected of fraud by false representation, conspiracy to commit money laundering and conspiracy to distribute counterfeit goods. The investigation into that is still ongoing, the U.S. Justice Department said. "In this case, the defendant put profit over safety by selling counterfeit airbags that had the potential to put drivers in harm's way if the airbags malfunctioned during a collision," said Acting U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Bubar. "I'm so proud of the cooperation on display by this investigative team, which included partnering with our state, federal and international colleagues, and will hold Mr. Alinaghian responsible for his illegitimate enterprise." Mt. Airy doctor ordered to pay over $2 million in restitution in healthcare fraud case Officials reiterated that counterfeit airbags could cause serious harm and even cost lives. According to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration consumer alert, between September 2023 and July 2024, three people were killed and two suffered injuries in the U.S. as a result of their vehicles having "substandard replacement" steering wheel airbags. "Selling and using counterfeit car airbags can have dangerous consequences," said Elaine F. Marshall, North Carolina's secretary of state. "Our strong partnerships with the brand holders and law enforcement was crucial to uncovering this serious threat and taking them off the market may have saved lives." Alinaghian's guilty plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert B. Jones, Bubar's office said. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Haughton. NCDOT provided the following statement on Alinaghian: "Mateen Mohammad Alinaghian has been a full-time NCDOT employee since January 2021. The department is aware of the recent legal action against Alinaghian and he is being placed on investigatory leave with pay." Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Alinaghian's scheme, whether through receiving a counterfeit airbag from him or being injured as a result of one of his airbags, can call HSI at (919) 677-6392. ...read more read less