John Steven Keplinger, Mail Fraud, California 2015

Stockton Man Guilty in Auto Engine Scam, Faces Up to 20 Years in Prison and $250,000 Fine

John Steven Keplinger, 56, of Stockton, California, pleaded guilty to mail fraud today in connection with an auto engine scam, according to United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner.

Keplinger, who operated three companies and websites, Rising Sun Engines Inc. (www.risingsunengines.com), Shop 4 Engines LP (shop‑4‑engines.com), and Your Parts Manager (yourpartsmanager.com), promised customers used auto engines from Japan but failed to deliver. Over 300 paying customers across 44 states and the District of Columbia were defrauded, resulting in a total estimated loss of approximately $470,000.

The scam involved customers paying by check sent via UPS. After Keplinger accepted payment, he either sent no engine at all or sent the customer a defective engine obtained in the United States, often from a junkyard.

United States Customs and Border Protection records indicate that Keplinger had stopped importing engines in 2007.

Keplinger is currently in custody and faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. He is scheduled to be sentenced by United States District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller on December 16, 2015.

The case is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the United States Postal Inspection Service, with assistance from the San Joaquin County District Attorney’s Office and the California Bureau of Automotive Repair. Assistant United States Attorney Christopher S. Hales is prosecuting the case.

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