A few months later, she wanted to upgrade and another dealership offered to buy the car from her. But when that company ran a check on the car’s history, there was a problem. Fernandez’s odometer had been rolled back. When she purchased the car in April 2012 from Affordable Motors, the odometer showed 56,447 miles. That turned out to be untrue. The actual mileage was 187,677, miles at the time Fernandez purchased it. Affordable Motors said it has nothing to do with the mileage discrepancy. “There was a problem before us,” said Affordable Motors owner Felisberto “Felix” Sanchez. “The problem was not us. She’s probably right, but the problem was with a previous out of town dealer.” Sanchez said he runs checks on all his vehicles and nothing seemed out of the ordinary with the Chrysler he sold to Fernandez. Odometer fraud is a national problem, but consumers can take steps to protect themselves. In Fernandez’s case, she did not see her vehicle’s Carfax. The Carfax would have provided a history report for her Chrysler including any possible odometer discrepancies. “If I could do it again, I would absolutely make sure I see the Carfax first.” Federal law requires the…
SPRINGFIELD, Mo — A national crime ring – busted. Investigators say a trailer theft operation here in the Ozarks reached far across the USA. Detectives say South Valley Trailer, LLC, located at 1219 E. Division Street, would steal trailers, change the vin numbers, and then sell them out of state – as far away as North Dakota. The bust dates back to December 2012, when several trailers were reported stolen in Springfield; security cameras captured some of them. Someone spotted a missing trailer at South Valley a few days later, prompting a police investigation. Sales records showed transports to a company in North Dakota, who posted pictures of trailers of sale. The pictures matched the descriptions of the stolen property. Officers say details helped crack the case. “People need to make sure they know serial numbers and the info of the trailers and keep them secure,” Lt. Kevin Grizzell tells KSPR News. “Keep them locked up and chain them. The harder you make it to steal, the less likely it is to be stolen.” Detectives went back to the company’s offices last month and took several hard drives and computers. Officers think files saved on those drives will reveal the…
The Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) arrested a Chattanooga man for Odometer Fraud on Wednesday. THP-CID investigators received a tip that the suspect attempted to sell a 1999 Honda Accord on Craigslist.com, where the vehicle mileage had been altered. The advertisement stated there were 54,000 miles on the vehicle. However, upon the initial investigation, it was discovered that the vehicle had accrued over 200,000 miles. Investigators posed as potential buyers and met with the suspect, 28-year old Robert Brandon Malone. After a series of inquiries, they determined Malone was the suspect who allegedly tampered with the vehicle’s odometer. He was arrested and charged with odometer fraud and driving on a suspended license. Malone was transported to the Hamilton County Jail. “Our job is to aggressively pursue any attempts of theft or fraud across the state. The Internet is a common source for thieves to pursue innocent victims. We just want to remind citizens to be wary of purchases, especially of automobiles, from the Internet,” THP Sgt. Matthew Minter said. Original Article: http://chattanoogan.com/2013/1/11/242071/Malone-Charged-With-Odometer-Fraud.aspx
Beau Michael Guidry of Baton Rouge, La., was sentenced today in connection with an odometer tampering scheme that defrauded victims in and around Louisiana, the Justice Department announced. U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana James J. Brady sentenced Guidry to a term of 20 months in prison and a term of one year of supervised release during which he cannot be involved in the sale of motor vehicles. In addition, the court ordered Guidry to pay $72,805.51 in restitution to the victims of his crimes. Guidry purchased high-mileage motor vehicles via eBay and wholesale automobile auctions in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The vehicles’ odometers were then rolled back as much as 147,000 miles and resold via Guidry’s used vehicle company, Affordable Imports in Denham Springs, La., or through eBay to unsuspecting purchasers. Guidry exclusively rolled back vehicles that were more than 10 years old when he sold them Because of the age of the cars, Guidry was not required to sign a disclosure certifying the mileage on those 10-year old vehicles as accurate. However, each time he altered an odometer with intent to change the mileage on the odometer, he violated federal law.…
COBB COUNTY, GA (CBS ATLANTA) – CBS Atlanta News questioned the current owner of a 1995 Nissan Maxima in Cobb County on Wednesday. He’s selling the car on Craigslist for $3,500 and with just 140,000 miles. He bought the car from Stewart Smith a month earlier. Smith said he sold the car with 241,000 miles. “It’s been 10 years since it had 141,000 miles on it,” Smith said. In fact, Smith’s Craigslist posting from July included a photograph of the odometer. You can only imagine what he thought when he noticed his old car was for sale again with 100,000 fewer miles. “My initial thought was with the lower mileage I certainly hope is a typo and apparently as your investigation found out, it is not,” Smith said. So CBS Atlanta’s Adam Murphy tracked down the new owner and seller of the car to ask him about it.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Excel Auto Group LLC is still under investigation by the state while a lawsuit against it works its way through a Greene County circuit court. Documents from the Missouri Secretary of State’s office show Ashley Bolton, the owner of Excel Auto Group, has also operated under B&B Motors. Scores of people continue to call and e-mail saying they too have found out their odometers have been tampered with. You can go to AutoCheck.com or Carfax.com and run your own check to see if you have been a victim. If you have, you can file a report with the Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-392-8222. If you want to speak with someone in Springfield, you can call the Missouri Department of Revenue at (417) 895-6429. The Attorney General’s Office is busy with the civil investigation into Bolton. No one has said if there’s a criminal investigation of Bolton or Excel Auto Group. Original article: http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-excell-new-details-in-the-investigation-of-springfield-car-dealership-that-was-allegedly-rolling-back-odometers-20120619,0,1026542.story
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– A KY3 investigation leads to an investigation by Missouri’s Attorney General’s office. A used car dealership in Springfield — Excel Auto Group, LLC — near Scenic and Walnut Lawn — can no longer operate after being raided on Thursday by the Department of Revenue and the AG’s office. At issue– complaints about rolling back odometers. Julie Schiffner started her search for a car online, and found what she thought was the perfect vehicle for the perfect price. “We asked for a Carfax and he provided it and so we would never have thought to go spend the money then to double check and make sure the one he provided us was correct,” Schiffner said. So they bought it, a 2002 Toyota Sequoia. They had it for two weeks when they got some bad news that turned out to be a blessing in disguise. A close friend just happened to run an independent Carfax check for them. “He checked it to see if the timing belt had ever been changed and that’s when we realized that the mileage was completely wrong,” she said. One hundred thousand miles wrong.
Beau Michael Guidry of Baton Rouge, La., pleaded guilty today in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana to three counts of odometer tampering. Guidry, owner of Affordable Imports in Denham Springs, La., purchased high-mileage motor vehicles both online, through eBay, as well as from wholesale automobile auctions in Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The vehicles’ odometers were then rolled back as much as 147,000 miles. Guidry subsequently resold the vehicles at his lot in Denham Springs or through eBay to unsuspecting purchasers. Many vehicles were more than 10 years old when Guidry sold them. Because of the age of the cars, Guidry was not required to sign a disclosure certifying as accurate the mileage on the vehicles that were more than 10 years old. However, each time he altered an odometer with intent to change the mileage on the odometer, he violated federal law. “Just because a car dealer does not have to certify the mileage on cars he sells, that does not give him a license to roll back odometers,” said Stuart F. Delery, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division. “It is equally fraudulent to roll back a so-called ‘exempt’ vehicle as rolling back…
LEE COUNTY, FL – A man and his son were arrested for allegedly tampering with the odometer ofa car during a sting operation set up by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, according to reports. According to reports, the Auto Theft Unit learned that fliers were being placed on vehicles at an auction that advertised odometer services. The flier read, “Odometer services, digital or analog, we adjust, correct or replace, any odometer to any miles, we come to you.” The flier included two phone numbers that deputies discovered belonged to Douglas Craig and his son Austin Craig. In April, an undercover officer called one of the phone numbers and spoke with Douglas. The deputy arranged to meet with Douglas to roll back the odometer of a car with 100,000 miles, according to reports. Douglas told the deputy it would cost $125 for the service, reports said. In mid April, the undercover deputy made contact with Douglas again. He agreed to meet in the Walmart parking lot later that day, reports said. Douglas and Austin arrived to Walmart driving a silver 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier. When the deputy asked Douglas about how easy it was to change the odometer readings, Douglas offered to…
WILDER,v.THE STATE. A11A2223. Court of Appeals of Georgia. Decided: March 19, 2012. DOYLE, Presiding Judge. Richard Keith Wilder was convicted of forgery1 after entering a guilty plea pursuant to Alford v. North Carolina.2 The trial court entered a restitution order from which Wilder now appeals. For the reasons that follow, we vacate the order of restitution and remand with direction. The proper amount or type of restitution shall be resolved by the ordering authority by the preponderance of the evidence. And the burden of demonstrating the amount of the loss sustained by a victim as a result of the offense shall be on the [S]tate. On review of a restitution order, the appellate court has the duty of reviewing the transcript to determine whether each party has met his or her specified burden and determining whether a restitution award was supported by the preponderance of the evidence.