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Father and son face dozens of charges for allegedly changing odometers, titles

By Jason Stoogenke, wsoctv.com
By Jason Stoogenke, wsoctv.com

GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A father and son face more than 60 charges for allegedly committing various car-related crimes, including title fraud and rolling back odometers.

Action 9′s Jason Stoogenke obtained the search warrants.

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The documents go into a lot of detail about two of the cases in particular, which started innocently enough on Facebook Marketplace.

According to the warrants, the alleged victims went car shopping on Facebook Marketplace.

One bought a 2016 Chevy Silverado near a gas station parking lot in Dallas. But the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles License & Theft Bureau agents say she ultimately became suspicious about the truck.

They got involved and -- using CARFAX and other tools -- determined someone had rolled back the odometer and changed the mileage on the title, knocking off 100,000 miles.

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Officers say the name of the man who sold the car to one of the suspects was still on the title. Stoogenke spoke with him by phone.

He says he was surprised when DMV agents called him. “I didn’t return the call immediately because I thought it might be some kind of a scam call,” he said.

The warrants say the other alleged victim bought a 2021 RAM 2500 in the actual parking lot of the License Plate Agency in Gastonia.

Investigators say the alleged victim eventually turned on SiriusXM radio which has technology that told him he was in a stolen vehicle.

Officers say they confirmed that and that someone had altered the VIN in multiple places on the truck and on the title trying to hide the fact.

DMV agents arrested Juan Jose Garcia Villatoro and his son, Brian Jose Garcia. The suspects are associated with a trucking company in Bessemer City.

Advice from Action 9 if you’re buying a used car

- Make sure no one’s lying about the model or mileage:

  • Always search the VIN online to make sure it matches the used car you’re thinking of buying. You can search here.
  • Use AutoCheck or CARFAX, not just to review the repair history but to see the mileage (just like officers in this case say they did). And check recalls while you’re at it.

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