Posted on 07/17/2020 6:25:49 PM PDT by ransomnote
WILFRED J. ALBANESE, 49, formerly of Waterbury, Connecticut and Blue Springs, Missouri, pleaded guilty today before U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to fraud and identity theft offenses stemming from the sale of numerous used vehicles with altered odometers.
According to court documents and statements made in court, between approximately August 2014 and October 2015, Albanese, while residing in Missouri, sold approximately 48 vehicles with altered odometers to unsuspecting purchasers. As part of the scheme, Albanese purchased high-mileage used vehicles and then used a variety of means to alter or reduce the mileage shown on the vehicles’ odometers. He also concealed mechanical issues with those vehicles by removing “check engine” lights from the instrument panels, providing buyers with phony maintenance receipts and vehicle history reports, and concealing rust and other damage to the vehicle through paint or other means. Albanese obtained Certificates of Title for the used vehicles he purchased. Under the assumed identities of the persons listed on those Certificates of Title, he advertised and sold the vehicles to customers on Craigslist.org. Most of the victim purchasers resided in Missouri.
On May 22, 2019, a grand jury in the Western District of Missouri returned a 20-count indictment charging Albanese and his accomplice with offenses related to this scheme. Albanese was located and arrested in New London, Connecticut, on July 18, 2019. The case was subsequently transferred from the Western District of Missouri to the District of Connecticut for further prosecution.
Albanese, who has been detained since his arrest, pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, and one count of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory consecutive sentence of at least two years. Judge Shea scheduled sentencing for October 9, 2020.
This matter has been investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation, and the Missouri State Highway Patrol, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Natasha Freismuth of the District of Connecticut, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Casey of the Western District of Missouri.
NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud in the U.S. results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s odometer fraud hotline at (888) 327-4236 or (202) 366-4761. More information on odometer fraud is available on the NHTSA website at https://www.nhtsa.gov/odometer-fraud.
I thought it was hard to scam folks from the “Shoe Me” state.
When I was looking at used trucks last year, I found one where the mileage displayed on the odometer was like 150,000 but when I did a carfax, the maintenance record showed MUCH higher, like twice as much. When I pointed this out to the seller, he insisted that the odometer was correct. I passed.
I’ve run into quite a few crooked business people from Missouri.
I had a gauge cluster go out on a 2003 Silverado. If memory serves me right I took out the cluster and got a new one from Chevy. They asked what the mileage was so they could enter it into the new one. It seems I could have said anything.
Frye?... Frye?... Frye?
I bought an aftermarket jeep cj instrument cluster.
The odometer quit after 12 miles. Additionally, the temp gauge pegged hot about the same time. Engine temp is fine.
Cheap electric stuff.
I’m looking at getting the military style dash with the instruments split up.
The glove box is on the left side. Fitting for a left handed person like me.
My father’s first job as a teenager was with a car dealer. One of his duties was to roll back the odometer on used cars.
“I had a gauge cluster go out on a 2003 Silverado. If memory serves me right I took out the cluster and got a new one from Chevy. They asked what the mileage was so they could enter it into the new one. It seems I could have said anything.”\
You could, but the car mileage is also stored in the PCM.
These scams have been going on for decades in this area.
A car is totaled and the insurance company issues a “salvage” title, then sends the car to the scrappers in Missouri.
Instead of salvaging and scrapping the car they would find others of the same make with other damage, then combine them into one drivable car, run it through the auto auctions, then run it down into Arkansas where for forty five dollars they could obtain a clean new title.
Then park it on a lot with a FOR SALE sign, and some sucker would end up buying a car made of parts from other cars as an undamaged car.
Same for flood cars.
Yes, I’ve been bit several times till I found out how the scam works.
The company I worked for one day decided the big boss needed a new car, so they went to a local dealer and bought a brand new car with less than 60 miles on it.
As we did our own maintenance no one checked over the car very well as it was a brand new car.
One day I was walking by and I happened to notice that the trunk and right rear quarter was a shade different in color from the rest. On average you could not see the difference, but the sun hit it just right to show ME the difference in color. I then notified the supervisor of what I had seen.
A thorough investigation showed huge amounts of Bondo under the paint as the trunk and back had been wrecked at one time.
So even hot-shots like our plant manager can get scammed by car dealers.
I am also left handed. I need to get one of those.
When are manufacturers going to stop discriminating against us? I know right handed people are of a lesser intellect and need things to be easier for them but still......
I had a speed sensor go bad on a 2001 Mazda Tribute when it had 12,000 miles. The speedometer and odometer stopped working. Thought it would be expensive to fix, so I didn’t for about 4-5 years. Turns out that was an inexpensive part and fixed it myself.
Was involved in an accident a few years later and totaled. Probably got an extra $1,500 from the insurance company.
Those states that want to start charging vehicle registration tax based on mileage will learn that it isn’t a good idea.
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