SoCal Ring Gets Busted for Allegedly Profiting From Cheating Smog Checks

Members of a Southern California ring were charged with conspiracy to cheat vehicle smog checks, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced April 4 in a statement. Twelve are now facing federal charges for using devices called “OBDNators” between October 2015 and last month to make polluting vehicles appear as if they had passed California smog inspection tests. Smog tests are required in the state for hybrid, alternative fuel and gas vehicles from model year 1976 and up with the aim of improving air quality, according to the Bureau of Automotive Repair. “For many years, California’s Smog Check Program has successfully reduced the amount of pollution in the air we breathe,” U.S. Attorney Philip A. Talbert said in the statement. “The developer and users of the OBDNator smog check cheating devices who are charged in the indictment … polluted the air we breathe for their own profit and harmed the health of Californians.”...