Category Archives: Convictions

(Raleigh) Man accused of rolling back car odometers

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A Raleigh man is accused of rolling back odometers on 20 cars and selling 15 of them. Flavio Oliveira, 39, faced a judge for the first time Wednesday afternoon on those charges and one more – not having a car dealer’s license. Neighbors of the address listed for Oliveira say he and his family moved out recently, but when they lived there cars were often lined up on the street. State Department of Motor Vehicles investigators lodged the charges against the Brazilian man who is now under an immigration detainer. It appears most of the cars were sold to individuals, but at least one ended up in an auction according to Gary Essick, who is a used Honda dealer in Thomasville, North Carolina. Essick tells ABC11 that he bought the car at auction from a well-respected new car dealer. He sold the car and was shocked when DMV investigators showed up on his doorstep weeks later asking about it. “It is a big mess because we, you know, after we sold the car you’ve got to think back if you were, if you were sold a car and four to six months down the road you were told that you had to return it immediately for a possible fraudulent odometer statement, you know, it’s going to upset the customer,” said Essick. DMV officials say Oliveira was doing business as Vista Auto Brokers on Kirkland Road in Raleigh. They ask that anyone who bought a car from him and thinks their odometer may have been rolled back to contact them. Original article: http://abc11.com/automotive/man-accused-of-rolling-back-car-odometers/303056/

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Lebanon Car Dealer Indicted For Fraudulent Titles, Falsified Mileage On Dozens Of Vehicles

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Nick Humphrey FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2014 SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Lebanon, Mo., automobile dealer has been indicted by a federal grand jury for a mail fraud scheme in which he sold dozens of vehicles with fraudulent titles that greatly underreported the actual mileage of the vehicles. Kenneth W. Smith, 60, of Lebanon, was charged in a seven-count indictment returned under seal by a federal grand jury in Springfield, Mo., on Aug. 26, 2014. That indictment has been unsealed and made public upon Smith’s arrest and initial court appearance. Smith operates Cars Unlimited in Lebanon. According to today’s indictment, Smith obtained fraudulent replacement titles for dozens of vehicles that were sold by Cars Unlimited between February 2010 and Nov. 7, 2011. Smith (operating through Cars Unlimited) allegedly applied for and received 54 replacement titles from the state of Missouri, each of which underreported the vehicle’s actual mileage between 95,000 and 209,000 miles. Smith allegedly resold these 54 vehicles at auto auctions using the fraudulent replacement titles. These 54 vehicles were sold for an aggregate total of approximately $346,450. Beginning in February 2010, when Smith purchased vehicles (through Cars Unlimited) at auto auctions, the vehicle titles he received showed each vehicle’s actual mileage. After purchasing a vehicle, Smith allegedly submitted an “Application for Missouri Title and License” seeking a replacement title for the vehicle. Although he sought a replacement title, the indictment says, he in fact possessed the original title for the vehicle. In each of those instances, Smith allegedly forged the signatures of the previous owner of the vehicle. The state of Missouri prepared a replacement title that was mailed to Smith at Cars Unlimited. The federal indictment charges Smith with seven counts of mail … Continue Reading

Five men charged for allegedly winding back odometers in used cars

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FIVE men accused of winding back the odometers in high-end second-hand cars which they planned to offer for sale have been ordered to appear in court in June. Serious Crime Task Force officers arrested the men after raids on six Adelaide properties, where 23 cars — including four Mercedes, four BMWs, four Holdens, three Toyotas, a Range Rover and a Volvo — computer equipment, odometer manipulation equipment and cash were seized. Five firearms and ammunition were also claimed by police in a joint investigation with Consumer and Business Services officers, which began in February. A 22-year-old man, of Colonel Light Gardens, a Kingswood man, 63, a Prospect, man, 66, a Greenwith man, 66, and a Parafield Gardens man, 65, were arrested and charged with conspiracy to defraud and participating in a criminal organisation. Police have laid 20 charges but said the inquiry was continuing. Further charges are expected. The men were granted police bail to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on June 27. Police say the investigation uncovered odometer tampering offences by licensed and unlicensed used car dealers. “(It is) a practice commonly referred to as odometer fraud, winding back or clocking,’’ Detective Chief Inspector John Gerlach said. “This practice is carried out in order to deceive purchasers about a vehicle’s true mileage and value in order to obtain an increased profit.” Any cars or other seized equipment deemed to be the proceeds of crime would be confiscated, Det Chief-Insp Gerlach said. Police also advised prospective car buyers could protect themselves from this type of offending by comparing an odometer reading against available vehicle records, including service records, safety certificates, log books or previous sales contracts. Also, they suggested obtaining a professional car inspection by the RAA or motor trade association, be cautious of vehicles that are significantly underpriced … Continue Reading

Patrick Wayne Davis booked in Knox County on odometer fraud and identity theft charges

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CHATTANOOGA, TN — Following an investigation by the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID) Patrick Wayne Davis was arrested for odometer fraud, identity theft, and felony theft on Tuesday, March 11 in Knoxville. Davis allegedly altered the odometer of a 2004 Honda Accord over 120,000 miles. He then fraudulently advertised the vehicle on “Craigslist “as a low mileage vehicle and subsequently sold it at a much higher price. This case stemmed from a complaint taken by the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office in Cleveland, Tenn. Bradley County then requested the assistance of the Tennessee Highway Patrol. THP Sergeant Thomas Clower, working with the Bradley County Sheriff’s Office, was able to identify Davis as a suspect in their initial investigation. They discovered that Davis illegally acted as the original owner of the Honda by taking the name of a man from Michigan. Agents with the Highway Patrol’s CID also located physical evidence in the Honda Accord. On Thursday, March 13, Sergeant Clower and THP Interdiction Plus Sergeant Greg Roberts located Mr. Davis in Knoxville. Davis was arrested on odometer fraud, theft between $1,000 to $10,000 and identity theft. He was booked in the Knox County Jail. A court date will be set for the Knox County Criminal Court. The Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security’s (www.TN.Gov/safety) mission is to ensure that our state is a safe, secure place in which to live, work and travel; enforce the law with integrity; and provide customer-focused services professionally and efficiently. Original Article: http://www.knoxvilledailysun.com/news/2014/march/patrick-wayne-davis-arrested.html 

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Insurance fraud mastermind sent to jail for 4 years

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BY LORRAINE NICKEL GLOBAL NEWS  It’s believed Manitoba Public Insurance was defrauded of more than $800,000. Global News/File A man considered the mastermind of the largest defrauding of Manitoba Public Insurance in history is going to jail. Quincy Adurogboye, 33, of Winnipeg, pleaded guilty and was convicted of eight counts of fraud in what police called Project Rollback in 2009. Wednesday, a judge sentenced him to four years behind bars and ordered him to pay back $150,000 to MPI, only a portion of what he fraudulently received from the corporation. About 40 people were arrested and charged for their involvement in an elaborate scheme to defraud the insurance company by rolling back the odometer readings of recently purchased vehicles, staging collisions in Winnipeg and then reporting the vehicles as stolen. It’s believed the scheme cost MPI more than $800,000. “This crime is extraordinary,” said Justice Chris Martin. Martin also sentenced Norm Beardy, 44, to an 18-month conditional sentence to be served in the community and 150 hours of community service. Beardy was ordered to pay back $8,000 to MPI, only 10 per cent of the amount he was involved in scamming. Original Article: http://globalnews.ca/news/892250/insurance-fraud-mastermind-sent-to-jail-for-4-years/

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This Cuyahoga Falls Odometer Scam Looks Like Something Straight Out of Matilda

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A Cuyahoga Falls man was indicted on multiple felony charges on Thursday for defrauding car buyers by selling high-milage vehicles on Craigslist after he had rolled back their odometers. Sounds a lot like the Danny DeVito character from the 1996 film Matilda, no? 35-year-old Shannon G. Payne was indicted on six counts of tampering with records and single counts of theft, forgery, and identity fraud reported 19 Action News. The charges involve three instances in which Payne is accused of purchasing vehicles on Craigslist and having the owner assign the title to him. He also used fake power-of-attorney forms and solicited the notary services of his wife in order to obtain replacement titles, after which he rigged the odometers in the vehicles to reflect a lower mileage. Payne’s wife was not charged in the case, but she has surrendered her notary commission. Original Article: http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2013/06/28/3593236-this-cuyahoga-falls-odometer-scam-looks-like-something-straight-out-of-the-movie-matilda

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Two arrested for odometer tampering scam

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The DMV announced the arrests of two men in Fresno in connection with dozens of cases of odometer tamping. 24-year-old Murad Alrawashdeh and 20-year-old Rami Alrawashdeh and another suspect altered the vehicle certificates, rolled odometers back on the cars and then sold them on the Craigslist website. The DMV was alerted when someone registered a car with much less mileage than had been shown on previous registrations, leading to a 10-month investigation. During the investigation, it was discovered that the men had listed over 180 cars in a 15-month period on Craigslist. A search warrant was served on June 13th that turned up odometer clusters, cash, computers and ledgers that detailed each vehicle sold. Investigators say the ledgers show 212 vehicles with altered odometers were sold, making a profit of approximately $296,000 in a 2 1/2 year period. A warrant is still outstanding on a third suspect, 30-year-old Atef Alrawashdeh. Original Article: http://www.cbs47.tv/news/local/story/Two-arrested-for-odometer-tampering-scam/jwJuiiuqm0yDzotyWttyKQ.cspx

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Cuyahoga Falls: BMW Investigations/ Cuyahoga Falls Police

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AKRON, OH (WOIO) – A Cuyahoga Falls man who defrauded car buyers by selling high-mileage vehicles on Craigslist after rolling back the odometers was indicted on multiple felony charges on Thursday, June 27, 2013, by a Summit County grand jury. Shannon G. Payne, 35, who also is a registered sex offender, was indicted on six counts of tampering with records and single counts of theft, forgery and identity fraud following an investigation by BMV Investigations and Cuyahoga Falls police. The charges involve three transactions in which Payne is accused of buying vehicles on Craigslist and having the owner assign the title to him. The investigation found that Payne subsequently used falsified power-of-attorney forms – utilizing the notary services of his wife, Carrianne Payne, to obtain replacement titles – after which he swapped out the odometers in the vehicles to reflect a lower mileage. Carrianne Payne was not charged in the case, but she has surrendered her notary commission. BMV Investigations has identified other apparent victims of this scheme. They can contact BMV Investigator Robert Gallo at (440) 845-1850. Copyright 2013 WOIO. All rights reserved. Original Article: http://www.19actionnews.com/story/22715758/cuyahoga-falls-man-indicted-in-odometer-rollback-scam

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Fresno Men Busted for Odometer Tampering

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By KMJ News Two Fresno men have been arrested for allegedly selling cars with false odometer readings. Investigators say 20 year old Rami Alrawashdeh and 24 year old Murad Alrawashdeh rolled back the odometer readings on more that 200 cars over a two and a half year period and sold them for a profit of $296,000 dollars. The two men were taken into custody earlier this week and are facing charges of grand theft and vehicle odometer tampering. Authorities are searching for a third suspect in connection with the case. Original Article: http://www.kmjnow.com/pages/landing?blockID=695707

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Mercedes-Benz pays $260k in Wis. lemon law case

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MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Mercedes-Benz USA LLC has paid out another $260,000 in a long-running lemon law case. Attorney Vince Megna sued the company in 2005 on behalf of a Waukesha businessman who purchased a defective sedan. The state Supreme Court last year upheld a $482,000 judgment against the company. Megna argued the company owed interest that had accrued during the case’s court journey and Mercedes-Benz paid $618,000. On Tuesday a Waukesha County judge ordered the company to pay attorney fees and costs totaling $259,536. The company cut a check dated the same day. Wisconsin’s lemon law allows consumers who win civil lawsuits to be awarded twice the amount of monetary losses, along with costs and attorney fees. Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would cap damages at actual loss. Original Article: http://www.news8000.com/news/mercedesbenz-pays-260k-in-wis-lemon-law-case/-/326/20666828/-/116nbj7/-/index.html

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