Three people were arrested Tuesday in a probe of knockoff auto parts that were installed in hundreds of city taxis, federal prosecutors said.
The arrests took place as agents searched a large warehouse in Long Island City belonging to EY Distributors that was filled floor to ceiling with boxes of the bogus parts.
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New York FBI Director George Venizelos said the investigation found that the counterfeit parts were packaged so as to appear to be original manufacturer equipment and then sold as such for a higher price.
The three suspects — Shashi Malhortra, 67, of Norwood, N.J.; Fadi Kilanie, 28, of Englewood, N.J.; and Richard Dininni, 57, of Easton, Pa. — carried out the fraud since October 2011, Manhattan federal prosecutors said.
City Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman David Yassky said the public was not in any danger given the frequent and exhaustive inspections city taxis undergo three times a year.
