Drew Mitchell Schreiber, a resident of Orlando, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to three counts of odometer tampering. The charges stem from his role in a scheme that involved rolling back the odometers of more than 140 high-mileage vehicles and selling them to unsuspecting buyers across the United States.
The plea was entered in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. Schreiber owned Central Florida Automotive Group, now operating as Southeastern Credit Union Solutions, in Winter Garden, Florida. According to court documents, he purchased high-mileage used vehicles from wholesale auto auctions across Florida and manipulated their odometers, rolling them back by as much as 428,000 miles.
Fraudulent Sales Across the U.S.
After altering the odometers, Schreiber resold the vehicles through auto auctions or online direct sales, targeting used-car dealers who then unknowingly sold the vehicles to individual buyers. These fraudulent transactions enriched Schreiber with significant profits. Many of the vehicles involved in the scheme were over 10 years old, enabling Schreiber to obtain “exempt” titles that did not require mileage disclosure, further concealing the fraudulent activity.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton of the Justice Department’s Civil Division condemned the actions:
“Just because a motor vehicle may be exempt from mileage recording on a title does not give a dealer the right to roll back odometers,” he said. “With vehicles remaining in use for longer periods of time, many Americans rely on older vehicles as their primary mode of transportation. Used car buyers deserve peace of mind knowing that the odometer reading in their vehicle is correct.”
Investigation and Prosecution
The case was investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation. Trial Attorney David Sullivan of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kara Wick for the Middle District of Florida prosecuted the case.
Schreiber is scheduled for sentencing at a later date. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
