The California Bureau of Automotive Repair is conducting undercover surveillance of smog test facilities in an effort to crack down on shops that are “clean piping.” Clean piping is when technicians test the exhaust from a clean vehicle, but enter the data for a dirty vehicle. A state audit found that almost one-third of older model vehicles failed roadside smog tests even though they had passed tests conducted at inspection stations.
Below is the article as it appeared on the Los Angeles Times’ website.
L.A. smog check shop shut down for certifying dirty cars
June 15, 2010 | 12:28 pm
A South Los Angeles smog check shop has been shut down by state regulators and may face criminal charges for routinely certifying pollution-belching vehicles as smog-free.
Undercover surveillance by the state Bureau of Automotive Repair found that in a two-hour period, each of the 13 smog tests conducted at AM PM Smog at 6401 1/2 S. Avalon Blvd., was fraudulent. The investigation also found that vehicles were being tested and certified without even being present.
In addition to suspending the smog check license of the shop owned by Devoney Dashay Nolberto, state officials have also referred the case to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The district attorney could file criminal charges against smog check technician Jermaine Elroy Williams and another employee, Darnell Tyrone Usher.
To read the entire article, visit the Los Angeles Times’ website at http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/06/a-south-los-angeles-smog-check-shop-has-been-shut-down-by-state-regulators-and-may-face-criminal-charges-for-routinely-certif.html.
