NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – Two Long Island women were indicted on Tuesday for allegedly selling cars with rolled-back odometer mileage, inflating the car's value and causing customers to pay higher prices than the vehicles were worth, prosecutors said.
Ashley Duff, 27, and Ginger Sipes, 58, both of Shirley, were indicted for scheme to defraud in the first degree and conspiracy in the fifth degree, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.
An investigation revealed that between July 27, 2020, and May 6, 2022, more than a dozen victims filed complaints with the Suffolk County Police Department regarding an alleged odometer rollback scheme. The police then contacted the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney Squad, who initiated a thorough investigation.
According to prosecutors, ABB Auto World Inc. bought high-mileage cars from auctions, some with over 200,000 miles, and rolled back their odometers to show lower mileage.
Duff and Sipes then allegedly advertised the cars for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
They also allegedly falsified sales paperwork with incorrect mileage, selling the cars to victims for thousands of dollars more than their actual value.
“Fraudulent business practices such as tampering with vehicle odometers and inflating prices undermines trust in the marketplace which has a devastating impact on honest local business owners, and causes consumers to purchase vehicles at artificially inflated prices,” Tierney said. “The alleged crimes are impactful, and we intend to prosecute these defendants to the fullest extent of the law.”
Both Duff and Sipe were indicted for scheme to defraud in the first degree and conspiracy in the fifth degree.
Duff was released on her own recognizance during the pendency of the case.
Sipe was also released on her own recognizance and is due back in court on May 20.
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