Wisconsin DMV identified nearly 6,000 vehicles with odometer rollback; $37 million fraud loss last year
Release date: May 12, 2025
On National Odometer Day, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (WisDOT) Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) reminds car buyers to verify vehicle mileage before they buy. Fraud through “odometer rollback,” changing the mileage shown on the vehicle’s odometer, is becoming more common.
Last year, investigations by Wisconsin DMV’s Dealer and Agent Section identified 5,961 vehicles which showed signs of having odometer rollbacks. This marked a sharp increase from 2023 when the DMV investigators identified 1,736 vehicles.
“Illegally manipulating odometers to roll back the mileage numbers before a sale has been around for decades. Today’s fraudsters, however, have kept pace with technology and essentially hack the vehicle’s computer to change the mileage. This puts the new owner at risk,” DMV Dealer and Agent Section Chief Maura Schifalacqua said.
Odometer rollback involves disconnecting, resetting or altering a vehicle’s odometer with the intent to change the number of miles indicated. Of the nearly 6,000 vehicles discovered with altered mileage last year, an estimated 613,910,784 miles were rolled off the odometers. The estimated fraud loss based on a $0.06 per mile damage calculation is $36,834,647.
This a marked increase from calendar year 2023, in which the identified vehicles had an estimated 181,706,452 miles rolled off the odometers, Schifalacqua noted. The estimated fraud loss in 2023 was $10,902,387.
Instances of odometer rollbacks are often caught when a vehicle is sold. Recent examples include:
- by Wisconsin wholesalers who illegally sold vehicles to retail purchasers from Wisconsin and other states
- by non-Wisconsin dealers/wholesalers to retail purchasers from Wisconsin
- by private parties to purchasers from Wisconsin
- through title processing errors
Wisconsin DMV Dealer and Agent Section investigators revoked 20 wholesale dealer licenses in 2024 due to odometer and title fraud. Last year’s total equaled the combined number of revocations from 2022 and 2023 (10 wholesale dealer licenses revoked each year).
“Odometer fraud is used to increase profit but also to gain a competitive advantage within the used vehicle market. For example, prospective buyers often search Facebook Marketplace for vehicles with less mileage),” DMV Investigator Joel Ingebrigtson explained. “As odometer fraud gains prevalence within a market, the motivation to commit odometer fraud may become less about gaining competitive advantage and more about keeping up with fraudulent competitors. Consumers suffer as a result.”
Identifying odometer tampering
When a vehicle buyer requests a new Wisconsin title, the DMV checks the odometer statement on latest title against available title information and confirms that the information is current. Out-of-state vehicle titles are checked by using the Vehicle Information Number (VIN) in a national database. The goal is to ensure the secure creation and maintenance of vehicle records and to reduce fraud through odometer rollbacks.
Consumers can protect themselves before they take ownership of the vehicle. When purchasing a used vehicle, check these key areas to uncover possible odometer tampering:
- The title and compare the mileage listed to the vehicle’s odometer. Look closely to ensure the mileage notation has not been obscured or altered.
- A vehicle history report*, such as from CARFAX, and look for odometer discrepancies in the vehicle’s history.
- Maintenance or inspection records and compare to the odometer mileage.
- The numbers on the odometer gauge should align correctly on mechanical odometers.
- The tires and overall condition of the vehicle. For example, if the odometer on the car shows 20,000 or less, it should have original tires. The general wear and tear of the vehicle should be consistent with the number of miles displayed on the odometer.
Vehicle titles typically have an odometer reading printed on the front of the title. Sometimes this reading has also been altered to reflect lower mileage. However, sometimes a fraudster will forget to alter this and it will still indicate a higher mileage reading.
“If the odometer statement has already been completed, look for any signs of white-out, evidence that ink has been removed, or evidence that the odometer statement has been overwritten,” Ingebrigtson said. “If the writing appears extra bold, blocky or has a zero at the front of the number, it may have been altered.”
If the title has multiple title reassignment sections completed, the seller might be an unlicensed retail dealer. Unlicensed retail dealers, which includes wholesalers selling retail and non-Wisconsin dealers selling retail within Wisconsin, are a common source of odometer fraud.
Online resources to help consumers
DMV has many online resources at wisconsindmv.gov to help consumers. Check out the DMV Consumer Rights page for additional information.
A vehicle history report* may be obtained online. It’s like is a background check for a vehicle. Most reports include historical details such as title records, crashes, service or repair records, and information about the vehicle’s mileage history. Vehicle history reports help prospective buyers make an informed decision about a vehicle purchase.
“One of the biggest regrets that I hear from odometer complainants is that they did not run a vehicle history report prior to purchasing the vehicle,” Ingebrigtson said. “Many complainants discover the odometer discrepancies on their vehicle by purchasing a vehicle history report after buying the vehicle and the vehicle starts having mechanical issues.”
Consumers may be able to file a complaint against a dealer, if there’s a problem obtaining title and/or registration, or warranty repairs. However, Wisconsin DMV is unable to help if the car was purchased from a private seller or from an out-of-state dealer.
National Odometer Day was created to raise awareness about the importance of verifying vehicle mileage to reduce consumer fraud.
For more information, contact:
WisDOT Office of Public Affairs
(608) 266-3581, opa.exec@dot.wi.gov
Four Romanian Men Sentenced for Odometer Fraud
Friday, May 2, 2025
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nebraska
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that four co-defendants convicted of odometer fraud and related charges were sentenced on April 30 and May 1, 2025 by United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher.
Razan Trasca, age 35, of Craiova, Romania, pled guilty to four counts of Odometer Fraud and three counts of Utter and Possess Forged and Counterfeit Securities of a State (vehicle titles). He was sentenced on April 30, 2025 to 30 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $53,260 in restitution.
Daniel Andronache, age 28, of Craiova, Romania, pled guilty to one count of Utter and Possess Forged and Counterfeit Securities of a State (vehicle title). He was sentenced on April 30, 2025 to 38 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $26,690 in restitution.
Ionut Madalin Zamfir, age 25, of Craiova, Romania, pled guilty to two counts of Odometer Fraud and two counts of Utter and Possess Forged and Counterfeit Securities of a State (vehicle titles). He was sentenced on May 1, 2025 to 36 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $38,500 in restitution.
Dudu Musi, age 37, of Craiova, Romania, pled guilty to one count of Utter and Possess Forged and Counterfeit Securities of a State (vehicle title). He was sentenced on May 1, 2025 to 36 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $17,150 in restitution.
Each of the defendants had entered the United States sometime between approximately 2020 to 2022 and had been allowed to remain in the country.
During approximately January 2022 to July 2024, in Nebraska and adjoining states, the defendants acquired high mileage vehicles, rolled back the odometers, re-sold the same vehicles at inflated prices, and provided vehicle titles that falsely stated low mileages consistent with the altered odometer readings. Sometimes a defendant acquired and sold the same vehicle himself, but each of the four defendants conducted overlapping transactions concerning certain vehicles, for example acquiring a vehicle that a co-defendant sold or accompanying a co-defendant during an acquisition or sale.
Collectively, the defendants acquired and sold at least 23 vehicles in this same way. The Court determined that the cumulative loss was $104,400, based on the difference between the price for which each vehicle was acquired and the inflated price for which it was sold after its odometer was rolled back.
Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen stated, “These defendants defrauded ordinary citizens who were simply trying to stay within their budgets by buying used cars. What makes it even more egregious is that they victimized American citizens after having been allowed to remain in the United States.”
“HSI works closely with our partners to identify and investigate anyone who comes to the U.S. to commit fraud,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy. “In this case, the convictions and restitution ordered will support the victims who were defrauded through the defendants’ scheme.”
In a separate case, Andronache and Zamfir had been stopped in November 2023 in Blaine, Washington, near the Canadian border. They were transporting twelve aliens, all of whom were Romanian citizens who had entered the United States illegally. In 2024, Andronache and Zamfir were convicted and sentenced in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington of Conspiracy to Illegally Transport Certain Aliens. At the conclusion of that case, Andronache and Zamfir were transported to Nebraska to face the Odometer Fraud and related charges.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles Fraud Unit.
Contact
Amy Donato (402) 661-3700
Man placed on probation for involvement in odometer tampering scheme
Published 6:00 am Thursday, March 13, 2025
By JUSTIN STORY / The Daily News Donnie Wilson
One of two men who pleaded guilty to crimes related to an odometer tampering scheme at two area used car dealerships was sentenced Tuesday to three years of probation.
Donnie Wilson, 51, was sentenced in U.S. District Court after previously pleading guilty to four counts of odometer tampering, one count of conspiring to tamper with odometers and a count of wire fraud.
According to federal court records, Wilson worked for Randy Huff at South Side Auto Sales in Bowling Green for about four years and was determined to have aided and abetted Huff in a scheme in which vehicles purchased to be sold at the lot had their odometers fraudulently altered to show mileage readings that were lower than the true reading.
Wilson’s role in the scheme involved filling out fraudulent paperwork, including odometer corrections forms and title request paperwork filed with local authorities, and that the forms included forged signatures of victims, court records show. An investigation ultimately found that Huff sold 43 vehicles at South Side and at Huff’s Auto Sales in Beaver Dam from 2018 to 2023 that had fraudulently altered mileage readings.
Under federal sentencing guidelines that factored in the nature of the offense and any prior criminal history, Wilson faced a penalty range of 8-14 months in prison, but was also eligible for probation.
While the criminal case was pending, Wilson was ordered by the court to attend an in-patient drug treatment program, which he credited at his sentencing Tuesday for helping him to recover from addiction and to chart a course for his future.
“My plan is to spend the rest of my life making amends to the people I’ve hurt, directly and indirectly,” Wilson said in court. A sentencing memorandum filed last week by Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee noted that it intended to seek $39,214 in restitution from Wilson to be paid to the victims and that it intended to seek a higher amount from Huff, who has pleaded guilty to the same charges and will be sentenced May 21.
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Greg Stivers ordered Wilson to pay $10,000 in restitution, saying that the amount previously sought was too high given the scale of Wilson’s involvement in the plot.
“His role seems to be very minor and it’s my impression he was really not fully aware of what was going on,” Stivers said, adding that there was no evidence to show that Wilson received money or otherwise benefited financially from his involvement in the scheme. “Mr. Huff will have his day in court, but it seems like he’s the one who should be the primary person to be saddled with this obligation to repay these folks.”
According to court records, two of the used vehicles identified as having fraudulently altered odometers included: •A 2007 Jeep Cherokee sold at South Side with an odometer reading of 71,576 miles that was altered from 189,520 miles.
•A 2010 Nissan XTerra sold at Huff’s Beaver Dam dealership in 2020 that arrived at the lot with an odometer reading of 211,184 miles but was sold with the odometer reading 71,835 miles.
McGee’s sentencing memorandum said that many purchasers who were defrauded had “extremely poor credit” and that Huff’s car lots offered in-house financing in exchange for upfront cash down payments.
“In many cases, the down payment for a car with a rolled back odometer was higher than the price Huff paid for the car at auction,” McGee said in his sentencing memorandum.
WisDOT takes action against 11 Arlington-based wholesale dealers
Wisconsin Dealers licenses revoked
Release date: January 3, 2025
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) revoked the wholesale dealer license from 11 dealers, all based at 101 Skyline Dr. #1 in Arlington. The licenses from the following two wholesale dealers were revoked for rolling back odometers on vehicles, falsifying title documents and selling directly to consumers:
- Fancy Auto Sales Inc.
- GB Auto Sales Inc.
In addition, Super Cars Auto Sales LLC had its wholesale dealer license revoked for selling vehicles directly to consumers.
In recent years, Wisconsin has seen a dramatic increase in the number of wholesale dealer licenses and consumer complaints resulting in investigations. Wisconsin is one of the few states that offers wholesale dealer licenses to business owners. A Wisconsin wholesale dealer license allows businesses to only sell vehicles between dealer to dealer. A wholesaler may not sell vehicles to the public.
Due to the nature of the violations, the department took immediate action revoking each license effective October 18. The decision to revoke the license was upheld by a hearing on November 15. Dealers are given 30 days to appeal a revocation. Neither wholesale dealer appealed and the decision is final.
The following eight wholesale dealers failed to maintain a dealer bond and had their wholesale dealer license revoked:
- Mercedez Chicago Inc.
- Abdul Aziz Motors LLC
- Three Brothers Auto Sale LLC
- Deepway Auto Sales LLC
- Divinity Motors LLC
- Xclusive Auto Xchange Inc.
- AMG1 Autos LLC
- Veritas Auto LLC
Wisconsin law requires wholesale dealers to carry a security bond to ensure if they commit illegal actions, such as rolling back an odometer or making an illegal sale, a consumer may file a claim against their bond to recoup money lost. Maintaining a bond is a standard business practice and an added security measure that is meant to protect consumers.
The decision to revoke the dealer license was affirmed by hearing examiner decision on November 19, 2024. Following a 30-day appeal period, the revocation became final on December 19, 2024.
WisDOT’s Dealer and Agent Section licenses, regulates and resolves disputes about dealership sales and warranty repairs. It also investigates complaints about odometer tampering and title fraud involving dealerships and private sellers.
For more information, contact:
WisDOT Office of Public Affairs
(608) 266-3581, opa.exec@dot.wi.gov
Florida Man Pleads Guilty to Odometer Tampering Charges
Friday, December 13, 2024
For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs
Drew Mitchell Schreiber, of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida to three counts of odometer tampering.
Schreiber, owner of Central Florida Automotive Group (now-named Southeastern Credit Union Solutions), in Winter Garden, Florida, purchased high-mileage used vehicles from wholesale automobile auctions throughout Florida. The vehicles’ odometers were then rolled back as much as 428,000 miles and resold to unsuspecting used-vehicle dealers via auto auctions or by online direct sales. The rolled-back vehicles were then sold to victims throughout the United States enriching Schreiber with fraudulent gains. In all, Schreiber sold rolled-back vehicles. Because many of these vehicles were more than 10 years old, Schreiber obtained so-called “exempt” titles that did not reveal the actual mileage of the vehicles.
“Just because a motor vehicle may be exempt from mileage recording on a title does not give a dealer the right to roll back odometers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “With vehicles remaining in use for longer periods of time, many Americans rely on older vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. Used car buyers deserve peace of mind knowing that the odometer reading in their vehicle is correct.”
A sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation investigated this case.
Trial Attorney David Sullivan of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Additional information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts can be found Here.
Updated December 16, 2024
Othello Man Indicted for Rolling Back and Replacing Odometers
Monday, September 9, 2024
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Washington
Spokane, Washington – On September 4, 2024, a federal grand jury for the Eastern District of Washington returned an indictment charging Reynaldo Valdez Garza Jr., age 52, of Othello, Washington, with five counts of Odometer Tampering. Garza made his first appearance in Federal Court on September 9, 2024.
The indictment alleges that beginning in May of 2023, Garza carried out a scheme to acquire used cars with high mileage, tamper with or replace the odometers in the vehicles to make the cars mileage appear much lower, then advertise and sell the vehicles to unsuspecting buyers for an inflated price. According to the indictment, in some cases, Garza caused odometers to be rolled back more than 100,000 miles.
The indictment further alleges that in some instances Gaza would wait for the buyer to sign their section of the Bill of Sale paperwork, then fill in the “seller” section with different information than what was represented to the buyer regarding the identity of the seller and mileage.
“The purchase of a vehicle is often one of the largest financial commitments people make. It is important that buyers have confidence in the information they receive when deciding which vehicle to purchase,” stated U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. “My office is committed to protecting consumers from fraudsters who seek to cheat the system for their own gain.”
This case was investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Devin Curda.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Contact
Robert Curry
Public Affairs Specialist
USAWAE.Media@usdoj.gov
Updated September 9, 2024
Harrisburg Man Sentenced To Prison For Odometer Tampering
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that on July 10, 2024, Earnest Fry, 49, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment by U.S. District Court Judge Christopher C. Conner following his conviction for odometer tampering and forging vehicle titles. Judge Conner also ordered Fry to pay victims more than $47,000 in restitution, $700 in assessments, and to serve three years on supervised release following his term of imprisonment. Fry previously pleaded guilty to the offenses.
According to United States Attorney Gerard M. Karam, just months after Fry was released from state prison for burglary and theft offenses in October 2018, and while he was on parole, he devised a scheme to purchase used cars, alter the cars’ true mileages by replacing or resetting their odometers, and then sell the vehicles online to unsuspecting customers who paid inflated prices for vehicles they might not otherwise have bought. In addition, Fry altered or forged the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania titles to multiple vehicles that he sold by causing the titles to reflect false, lower mileages. Fry altered the odometers on at least 55 used cars that he sold and rolled back more than five million miles on the vehicles. In some cases, Fry caused the odometers to be rolled back by nearly 200,000 miles. Fry’s offenses not only caused victims to pay far more for the cars than they were worth, but created the risk that buyers would incur additional losses due to likely increased maintenance costs, excessive insurance premiums, and other unanticipated expenses.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Pennsylvania State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christian T. Haugsby prosecuted the case.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually and has established a special hotline to handle odometer fraud complaints. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call (800) 424-9393, or email odometerfraud@dot.gov.
More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website, https://www.nhtsa.gov/equipment/odometer-fraud
Cascade Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Rolling Back Odometers
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa
A man who was responsible for forty-seven cars that had lower, false odometers was sentenced to federal prison on April 8, 2024.
Randolph Forrest, age 69, from Cascade, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 17, 2023 guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.
Information from sentencing showed that from June 2012 through July 2021 Forrest conspired with others to roll back odometers on used cars to sell them for more money. Forrest and others involved in the scheme tampered with the odometers of at least forty-seven cars by having the odometers fraudulently altered to reflect lower mileages. They then sold the cars to unsuspecting buyers at higher sales prices than the buyers would have paid had the true mileage been disclosed. As part of the fraud, Forrest mailed forms to a repair business requesting that odometers be changed to reflect lower mileages. Forrest advertised the cars with the lower, false mileages on Facebook and Craigslist.
Forrest was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Forrest was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and six months’ home confinement. He was ordered to make $140,178.55 in restitution to forty-seven victims of his offense. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually and has established a special hotline to handle odometer fraud complaints. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call (800) 424-9393 or send an email to odometerfraud@dot.gov.
More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/odometer-fraud and tips on detecting and avoiding odometer fraud are available at this page: www.nhtsa.gov/staticfiles/nvs/pdf/811284.pdf.
Forrest was released on the bond previously set and is to surrender to the United States Marshal on May 6, 2024.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kyndra Lundquist and investigated by the United States Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl
Illinois Man Pleads Guilty in Odometer Tampering Conspiracy
For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs
An Illinois man pleaded guilty today in connection with a years-long fraud conspiracy to roll back the odometer readings on hundreds of used cars.
According to court documents, Laith Ghzo, 37, of Oak Lawn, admitted that he purchased high-mileage vehicles at auto auctions and caused the odometers of those vehicles to be rolled back to false, lower mileage readings. Ghzo also admitted that he then altered the rolled back vehicles’ title paperwork to match the false and lower mileage readings, and subsequently submitted those altered titles to the Illinois Secretary of State to obtain “clean” titles reflecting the false, lower mileage. With the false and lower mileage titles, Ghzo then sold the vehicles to other unsuspecting car dealers, who then sold them to unsuspecting consumers.
“According to the National Highway Traffic Administration, odometer fraud causes more than $1 billion per year in losses to consumers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “Odometer fraud is a crime that predominately affects the economically vulnerable, who are simply looking for transportation to work or to school but who cannot afford to purchase a new car. We thank our partners for bringing this matter to our attention.”
Ghzo pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 1 and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation and U.S. Postal Inspection Service are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Joshua D. Rothman and Thomas S. Rosso of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik Raman for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.
Updated April 25, 2024
Kansas car dealer indicted for rolling back odometers
WICHITA, KAN.– A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas businessman with 27 counts of criminal misconduct connected to altering vehicle odometers.
According to court documents, Adam Newbrey, 31, of Derby operated three used car dealerships in Wichita including Ideal Motors, Midwest Wholesale, and Prestige Motors.
In 2020 and 2021, Newbrey allegedly purchased used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma, altered the odometers, and then used fraudulent documents to obtain titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue reflecting the falsified odometer readings. He is also accused of using the titles with the mispresented mileage to defraud customers who purchased vehicles.
Newbrey is charged with:
• one count of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud,
• nine counts of odometer tampering,
• seven counts of mail fraud,
• nine counts of aggravated identity theft, and
• one count of wire fraud.
The defendant made his initial court appearance March 15, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks Severson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas.
The Kansas Department of Revenue – Office of Special Investigations and the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation are investigating the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Deb Barnett is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.