ODO Tampering and false log books brings prison term and fine

Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe has welcomed the agency’s first custodial sentence for an unlicensed motor dealer and odometer tamperer.

Yagoona man, Adam Assad, was yesterday sentenced to eight months imprisonment and ordered to pay $52,616 in fines, costs and compensation by Parramatta Local Court after being convicted of four Crimes Act and six Motor Dealers Act offences including fraud, odometer tampering and unlicensed motor dealing.

He was ordered to pay $35,766 compensation to three victims.

The Court heard Assad wound back the odometers and made a $40,766 profit on four vehicles he sold for a total of $134,000. The vehicles were all four wheel drives and SUVs.

He wound back 894,612 kilometres on five vehicles he advertised on online car sales websites including carsales.com.au and carpoint.com.au – a 2006 Toyota Prado, 2006 Mitsubishi Triton, 2006 Toyota Hilux, 2005 Toyota Hilux and a 2006 Toyota Landcruiser.

Mr Assad carried on the business of a motor dealer without a licence, interfered with odometers, dishonestly obtained financial advantage by deception and made and used false log books.

He bought late model motor vehicles, predominantly in his own name, via motor vehicle auction houses, motor dealers and through private sales.

He transferred motor vehicle registration details into his own and other names, did registration number ‘plate swaps’ to disguise vehicles and their true history from prospective buyers and regulators and upgraded base model vehicles to appear to be original premium grade models.

He wound back odometers and supplied motor vehicle service books with false service history. He used different names, locations, accounts, mobile phones and email addresses when advertising vehicles for sale online.

He arranged for consumers to meet him at different locations to inspect vehicles. He used an associate to advertise and sell vehicles. He obtained genuine service books from unknown sources and used false stamps to create false service entries.

The Commissioner said notwithstanding a significant number of concessions granted to Mr Assad in relation to his circumstances, his lack of remorse and level of premeditation, planning and execution of fraudulent behaviour had led to the conviction.

“I commend the officers who ran a very important  investigation and prosecution to get this outcome,” he said.