Attorney General: Somerset Man Faked Vehicle Inspections

A 71-year-old Somerset man has been indicted on charges of fraudulently inspecting and passing vehicles.

Attorney General Martha Coakley says after a nine-month investigation, Richard Silvia and his company, Bristol County Tire Service Inc., face 68 counts of charges including violating inspection requirements and fraudulently issuing state inspection stickers.

Silvia allegedly inspected heavy-duty vehicles he wasn't qualified to inspect, by using another inspector's license and pin numbers. Coakley says Silvia would inspect one vehicle and then print out numberous inspection stickers to be placed on other vehicles.

Court dates in Bristol, Barnstable, and Plymouth counties have yet to be set.