COLUMBUS, OH – Simon C. Nwaru, Jr., 38, a former car dealership owner in Whitehall, Ohio, pleaded guilty today to a scheme that saw the odometers on hundreds of vehicles manipulated to falsely display lower mileage. Nwaru, who ran S. Automotive Ltd., faces federal sentencing for what authorities are calling a brazen and calculated effort to deceive buyers and cheat the State of Ohio out of tax revenue.
The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in April 2025, alleges that approximately 60 percent of the vehicles sold by S. Automotive since October 2014 had their mileage tampered with. A deep dive into sales records between January 2021 and January 2023 revealed at least 300 vehicles sold with rolled-back odometers. The total mileage fraudulently removed from those vehicles? A staggering 31 million miles.
But the fraud didn’t stop at deceptive mileage. Court documents reveal Nwaru also falsified sales prices on paperwork submitted to the State of Ohio, effectively skimming tax dollars. This dual-pronged scheme demonstrates a clear pattern of intentional deceit, authorities say, and a blatant disregard for both customers and the law.
“This wasn’t a simple mistake,” stated Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, following the guilty plea entered before Chief U.S. District Judge Sarah D. Morrison. “This was a systematic effort to defraud consumers and deprive the state of much-needed revenue. We will not tolerate such blatant dishonesty.”
The investigation was a joint effort between the United States Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation, and the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles Investigations Section. Assistant United States Attorney Timothy D. Prichard is prosecuting the case. NHTSA estimates that odometer fraud costs American consumers over $1 billion annually, creating potentially dangerous situations due to unknown vehicle wear and tear.
NHTSA urges anyone suspecting odometer fraud to report it immediately. You can email odometerfraud@dot.gov or call 800-424-9393. Resources on how to spot odometer tampering are available at https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/odometer-fraud/topic. Nwaru faces up to three years in prison. Sentencing will be determined at a future hearing, taking into account Federal Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case.
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Key Facts
- State: Ohio
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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