Dealer Gets 3-Year Prison Sentence
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A Wyoming used-vehicle dealer convicted of 11 counts of deception-related felonies was sentenced to more than three years of prison and another three years of supervised release, the Justice Department announced this week.
Randy Lee (aka Jimmy Lee) was found guilty of five counts of odometer tampering, five counts of securities fraud related to fraudulent motor vehicle titles and one count of conspiracy by a Cheyenne, Wyo., federal jury back in January.
He had been charged with 14 felonies, but was acquitted of two counts of providing false odometer certifications and a count of mail fraud.
At sentencing, Lee was given a 37-month prison term by U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson in addition to three years supervised release. During that time, he can have no part in selling vehicles whatsoever.
In 90 days, the court will decide how much restitution Lee owes.
Lee — along with co-defendant Jay Lee — were indicted on July 23 on the aforementioned charges relating to an odometer tampering scheme the pair was running.
Jay Lee, however, remains at large and authorities request that anyone with information on where he might be contact the proper authorities.
As reported earlier in Auto Remarketing, Prosecutors argued that the scheme involved the defendants — who bought and sold used cars for a Cheyenne used-car dealership — purchasing pickup trucks in Wyoming and other states in the area. They then apparently rolled back the odometers on these vehicles — sometimes as far back as 100,000 miles — and acquired fake Wyoming titles.
The defendants allegedly sold these same vehicles to dealers and consumers in Wyoming and Colorado.
Even though there were notices of odometer discrepancy on some of the units, none were sold with information sharing how big the discrepancy was.
"This type of scheme defrauds consumers out of one of the biggest investments they will ever make. Dishonest dealers who roll back odometers cheat customers out of their hard-earned money, impede intelligent buying choices, and raise safety concerns by misrepresenting the true condition of the vehicles they sell," stated Tony West, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division of the Department of Justice.
"The Justice Department will seek tough sentences for those who engage in these illegal practices," West added.