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LONG ISLAND CITY — Federal officials charged three automotive parts suppliers with selling counterfeit replacement parts to repair shops that service New York City taxis, according to an officials said Tuesday.
Shashi Malhotra and Fadi Kilani of New Jersey and Richard Dininni of Pennsylvania are accused of repackaging generic car parts and passing them off as brand name goods in order to avoid federal safety standards, officials said.
The men supplied the knock-offs — which included items like brake pads and ignition coils — to an automotive parts distributor in Long Island City between Fall 2011 and this month, according to the indictment.
It was not clear how many of those parts made it on to taxis.
