Two Plead Guilty for Odometer Fraud in Mississippi

Two men have pled guilty to conspiring to commit odometer fraud, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Mississippi.

The two men who pled guilty were Mark Longgrear and his son, Zachary Longgrear. The two did business as Southern Auto Buyers LLC.

The federal criminal complaint that charged the two for odometer fraud alleged that for four years the two men had purchased vehicles from auctions, dealers, and individuals in order to alter the odometers to reflect lower mileage numbers. The two would then proceed to resell the vehicles to dealers and individuals under the guise of lower mileage figures.

Along with altering odometer readings, the two men also forged and fraudulently crated paperwork to secure new titles showing false lower mileage for the vehicles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Sentencing for the two has been set for Dec. 12, 2018. The father and son face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss.