Source: United States Department of Justice
After a week-long trial, a federal jury convicted an Illinois man last Friday of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, for agreeing with his brother and another man to alter the odometer readings on hundreds of used cars and sell those cars to unsuspecting consumer victims.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Hussein Ghzo, 42, of Palos Heights, conspired with his brother Laith Ghzo, 38, and Musab Sawai, 36, to roll back the odometer readings on hundreds of used cars. The defendants purchased high-mileage cars at auto auctions, brought the cars to Chicago, had the odometer readings on those cars altered, falsified title documents to reflect the false low mileage, submitted those false titles to the Illinois Secretary of State and then sold the cars at other auctions with the false low mileage titles and false odometer readings. The evidence at trial revealed that Hussein Ghzo was warned on three separate occasions that the cars he was selling had rolled back mileage, but he nevertheless continued to participate in the scheme, including by attempting to pose as other people and hide his true identity. U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah of the Northern District of Illinois presided over the trial.
“The Justice Department is committed to prosecuting those who prey on unsuspecting consumers,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The scheme at issue here deprived consumers of important information relating to vehicle safety and future repair costs.”
“Odometer fraud endangers the public and keeps older, less-safe vehicles on our nation’s roads,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual for the Northern District of Illinois. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to ensure that consumers are purchasing vehicles with valid odometer readings.”
Ghzo is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 22, 2025, and faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Ghzo and Sawai have previously pleaded guilty in connection with this matter and are awaiting sentencing. Ghzo will be sentenced on Oct. 31. Sawai’s sentencing date has not yet been set.
The U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Odometer Tampering Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated the case. The matter was originally referred to the federal government by the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration.
Trial Attorneys Joshua D. Rothman and Thomas S. Rosso of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kartik K. Raman for the Northern District of Illinois are prosecuting the case.