Brand Protection Stories Podcast
EPISODE
3

This episode is sponsored by Digimarc.

July 5, 2021

Operation Partsman

Rod Kinghorn, a proud Spartan and icon in the brand protection world, takes us through “Operation Partsman” – the largest non-drug seizure in FBI history. The operation spanned three years and involved coast–to-coast investigations, including a sting operation in which the Feds set-up an auto parts business as a front. This operation successfully resulted in the removal of tens of thousands of dangerous counterfeit auto parts.

Rod Kinghorn


Rod Kinghorn graduated from Michigan State University’s School of Criminal Justice in 1974 with a Bachelors of Science degree. After a long career in the auto industry, he retired in 2012 as the General Director of Global Security at General Motors. During his career with GM, Rod was responsible for a wide variety of security related activities including fire protection & prevention, plant safety, worker’s compensation, employee business travel & company vehicle operations. But a majority of his assignments since 1984 were in the field of investigations where he used an integrated business process to direct investigations that included: internal and external frauds, thefts, major policy violations, allegations of criminal activity, loss of proprietary information, forensic analysis of information systems, counterfeit automotive parts, health care fraud, workplace violence threats, and undercover drug operations all in support of GM’s Global Operations.
 
Rod has received many honors & accolades as a Spartan. In 2004, he was honored as a recipient of one of the first Alumni service awards presented by the MSU School of Criminal Justice. Additionally, he was an inaugural member of the A-CAPP Industry Advisory Board. Following his retirement from GM, Rod worked for A-CAPP helping develop the Professional Certificate Courses in Brand Protection among other key programs, retiring from this second career in 2018 – but not before being inducted into the MSU, School of Criminal Justice “Wall of Fame.”



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JULY 5