Uptown Whittier Smog Check shop accused of faking inspections

WHITTIER — Officials have suspended the licenses of an Uptown Whittier automotive smog check business and its technician amid allegations of falsifying smog check records, authorities said.
The Bureau of Automotive Repair took the action Tuesday against Uptown Smog Test Only, 7718 Greenleaf Ave., and Advanced Emission Specialist Technician Moises Zepeda.
A March 2011 surveillance by the BAR found that Zepeda, “certified Smog Check inspections on multiple vehicles that were never at his station,” California Department of Consumer Affairs officials said in a written statement.
The technique, known as “clean-piping,” takes place when a technician runs a smog inspection on one vehicle while entering data for another, officials said.
The BAR case against the shop and technician is ongoing, officials said, and investigators will seek to have both licenses permanently revoked at an administrative hearing.
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