COLUMBUS, Ohio — A Columbus man faces federal charges for allegedly tampering with odometers on vehicles sold at his former Whitehall car dealership, authorities said Thursday.
Simon C. Nwaru Jr., 38, who owned S. Automotive Ltd., was indicted by a federal grand jury on eight counts of odometer fraud. The indictment alleges that between November 2020 and May 2022, Nwaru knowingly disconnected, reset, or altered odometers on eight vehicles, reducing their mileage by approximately 80,000 to 100,000 miles before selling them to customers.
Odometer fraud is a federal crime punishable by up to three years in prison.
The federal government estimates odometer fraud costs U.S. consumers over $1 billion annually.