COLUMBUS — The owner and operator of an Ohio car dealer is accused of altering the odometers on cars he sold, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Ohio.
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A federal grand jury indicted 38-year-old Simon C. Nwaru, Jr. on Thursday.
Nwaru owned S. Automotive Ltd. in Columbus. He ‘knowingly disconnected, rest and altered the mileage’ before selling cars to customers, according to the news release.
The incidents happened between November 2020 and May 2022, according to the indictment.
Charging documents claim eight cars had their mileage rolled back from 80,000 to 100,000 miles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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Odometer fraud is a federal crime that can carry a sentence of up to three years in prison.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates more than 450,000 cars are sold each year with odometer readings that do not match the actual mileage.
The NHTSA estimates the crime costs Americans more than $1 billion each year.
You can report odometer fraud by emailing odometerfraud@dot.gov or calling 800-424-9393.
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