Drew Mitchell Schreiber from Orlando, Florida, has admitted to odometer tampering charges in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Schreiber pleaded guilty to three counts of altering odometers.
Schreiber was the owner of Central Florida Automotive Group, which is now called Southeastern Credit Union Solutions in Winter Garden, Florida. He purchased used vehicles with high mileage from auctions across Florida and manipulated their odometers to show lower mileage. The altered vehicles were then sold through auto auctions or online sales to used-vehicle dealers who were unaware of the tampering. These cars ended up being sold nationwide, providing Schreiber with illegal profits. In total, 140 vehicles had their odometers rolled back by Schreiber. Many of these cars were over ten years old, allowing Schreiber to obtain "exempt" titles that did not display the actual mileage.
“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,” stated 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 arranged later, where a federal district court judge will decide on the sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
The investigation was conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney David Sullivan from the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick for the Middle District of Florida.
For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement actions, visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch.