Florida Man Charged in Federal Counterfeit Case for Trafficking Bogus Automotive Devices

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

A Florida man has been charged with one count of trafficking in counterfeit goods—an offence that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. The goods at issue are counterfeit electronic engine control devices produced and marketed by Hondata for use in modified Honda and Acura vehicles.  

In a plea agreement filed with a U.S. District Court, the defendant admitted that, beginning in 2009, he arranged for Hondata’s K-Pro and S300 devices to be reverse-engineered. The counterfeit devices bore Hondata’s trademarked name, as well as counterfeit serial numbers. The defendant also admitted creating counterfeit packaging, labels, instructions and compact discs for the devices.  

The investigation in this matter was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For more information on how to protect your intellectual property, go to www.sema.org/ipr.