CEDAR RAPIDS – An Iowa man who ran for state Legislature as a Republican and helped hatch a scheme to roll back odometers on used cars was sentenced to federal prison this month.
Randolph Forrest, age 69, from Cascade, Iowa, received the prison term after a January 17, 2023 guilty plea to one count of wire fraud.
Information from sentencing showed that from June 2012 through July 2021 Forrest conspired with others to roll back odometers on used cars to sell them for more money. Forrest and others involved in the scheme tampered with the odometers of at least forty-seven cars by having the odometers fraudulently altered to reflect lower mileages. They then sold the cars to unsuspecting buyers at higher sales prices than the buyers would have paid had the true mileage been disclosed. As part of the fraud, Forrest mailed forms to a repair business requesting that odometers be changed to reflect lower mileages. Forrest advertised the cars with the lower, false mileages on Facebook and Craigslist.
Forrest was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Forrest was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and six months’ home confinement. He was ordered to make $140,178.55 in restitution to forty-seven victims of his offense. He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to a 2016 report in the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Forrest announced he was running for Iowa Legislature as a Republican to represent House District 58 and was co-owner of Dubuque-based A&B Automotive Center.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that odometer fraud in the United States results in consumer losses of more than $1 billion annually and has established a special hotline to handle odometer fraud complaints. Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call (800) 424-9393.
So tired of these thieving criminal Republiperverts.
Thanks Hunter