The Daily Times of Deleware, Pa., reported this past weekend that one local used-car dealer charged with rolling back the odometer on a 1998 Jeep Cherokee has a different story to tell. The dealer and his attorney are claiming that a mechanical defect was the cause of the erroneous mileage reading. The report stated that David Gill, general manager of DiFilippo Brothers Motor Cars, is being charged with alteration of true mileage statement, deceptive business practices and the misdemeanor charge of tampering with public records. And Gill’s attorney, Michael Malloy, disputes the allegations, blaming the odometer readings on what he called a “mechanical glitch.” Highlighting the background on the case, Gill sold a Jeep Cherokee to customer Rodney Gilmore in December 2010 for $9,295, with an odometer that showed 67,189 miles — according to the affidavit of probable cause written by Pennsylvania State Trooper Louis Vitali. But the PennDOT records painted a different picture: the records obtained by Vitali showed the Jeep’s last reported mileage as 84,210, reported the Daily Times. Malloy apparently said, “We know for a fact now the (odometer) is now back further than when the complainant drove it. “We can’t say why it’s happening,” he was reported saying. But according to the affidavit, Gilmore ran a Carfax report on the Jeep shortly after he bought the unit. And this report showed apparently showed the mileage on the vehicle was much higher. “Gilmore called the dealership and spoke with a woman who confirmed the mileage on the title was in fact 84,210, not 67,189, according to the affidavit,” the Daily Times reported. But Gill claims that on the date of sale, the vehicle title was unavailable and he took the mileage from the odometer to complete the paperwork. According to a report from Vitali, Gill also told him the mileage on the … Continue Reading

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh man has been arrested and charged with selling vehicles with altered odometers out of his home. Officials with the NC Division of Motor Vehicles License and Theft Bureau say Francis Marimo had been under investigation for months after a customer reportedly purchased a 2005 Honda Odyssey through an ad on Craigslist. The victim later discovered that the vehicle mileage had been changed. During the investigation, agents learned Marimo would travel to different states to purchase the vehicles, then return to Raleigh where he would allegedly change the odometer cluster and then place the vehicle on Craigslist for sale. On Tuesday inspectors seized four Honda odometer clusters, $17,200 in cash, keys to different vehicles, motor vehicle titles, and paper work pertaining to the sale of vehicles. Marimo was charged with two counts of odometer fraud, two counts of obtaining property by false pretenses, and one count of acting as a motor vehicle dealer without a license. He was placed in jail under a $3,000 secured bond. Bureau officials say they continue to look into how long Marimo had been making such sales and says more charges are possible. Anyone who thinks they may have been a victim of the fraud is asked to call the Bureau at (919)816-9194, ext. 2. Posted by Gary Mitchell