Kansas car dealer indicted for rolling back odometers

WICHITA, KAN.– A federal grand jury in Wichita returned an indictment charging a Kansas businessman with 27 counts of criminal misconduct connected to altering vehicle odometers.

According to court documents, Adam Newbrey, 31, of Derby operated three used car dealerships in Wichita including Ideal Motors, Midwest Wholesale, and Prestige Motors.

In 2020 and 2021, Newbrey allegedly purchased used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma, altered the odometers, and then used fraudulent documents to obtain titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue reflecting the falsified odometer readings. He is also accused of using the titles with the mispresented mileage to defraud customers who purchased vehicles.

Newbrey is charged with:

•    one count of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud,
•    nine counts of odometer tampering,
•    seven counts of mail fraud, 
•    nine counts of aggravated identity theft, and
•    one count of wire fraud.

The defendant made his initial court appearance March 15, 2024, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks Severson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. 

The Kansas Department of Revenue – Office of Special Investigations and the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation are investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Deb Barnett is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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