Huntsville man indicted on multiple counts of tampering with vehicle odometers, bank fraud
BIRMINGHAM — One Huntsville man has been indicted today by a federal grand jury in a U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Alabama, for allegedly tampering with the odometers on several used cars he has sold between October 2014 and November 2016.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney Jay E. Town and U.S. Secret Service Special Agent in Charge Michael Williams.
Randy Eugene Greene, a 62-year-old man doing business as RJ’s Auto Sales on South Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, is now facing 12 counts of tampering with vehicle odometers and three counts of bank fraud. Others may also be involved in Greene’s schemes, according to the indictment.
“Anyone who violates federal laws and commits fraud will be vigorously investigated and prosecuted,” Town said. “Congress passed these kinds of laws to protect consumers, financial institutions and the economy as a whole, and people who engage in this kind of shameful activity should know that there will be serious consequences when they are caught.”
If he is found guilty, Greene faces a maximum of three years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for tampering with an odometer, as well as a maximum of 30 years in prison and up to $1 million for bank fraud.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, the average difference in true and fraudulent mileage on the vehicles was about 122,000 miles. The largest difference was nearly 219,000 miles.
Greene also allegedly “engaged in a scheme to defraud Redstone Federal Credit Union.” The release said the fraud occurred when RFCU financed three of the vehicles with tampered odometers. Greene was charged with one count of information for odometer tampering in December 2017. He was “served with a notice of forfeiture related to the bank fraud counts,” which included having to pay a money judgement of $28,000.
The recent indictment is not the first time Greene’s sales have been in question. A WAFF 48 reporter went undercover as one of Greene’s customers in 2006 when he was operating under Greene’s Auto Sales. He claimed at the time that his computer was down and could not give a car fax. When the reporter confronted him the next day, Greene made no attempt to defend himself, simply telling the reporter, “Get out. Get off my property.”
The story also said civil court cases they uncovered against Greene dated back as far as 1990. The cases did not consistently result against or in favor of Greene.
Several customers came forward after the 2006 story broke that claimed Greene had swindled them, and when an agreement was made to remedy the issue or trade in for a different vehicle, many customers said Greene stalled until their warranty was up.
After WAFF’s investigative story broke in 2006, Greene simply changed the name of the car lot to Discount Auto Sales and put the business under his wife’s name. The changes, however, meant the business had to go through the process of meeting the city’s approval again, which they did not wait to do. Because of this, the City of Huntsville shut down the business in early 2007.
“It is very important that consumers and financial institutions know that the vehicle being purchased from any auto dealership represents the true odometer reading,” Williams said.
Records also show that Greene was briefly booked into the Okaloosa County Jail in Florida Nov. 14, 2004 for battery. He was released a few hours later.
If you or someone you know has purchased a vehicle from RJ’s Auto Sales within the last five years and believe you may be a victim of odometer tampering, Williams advised contacting the U.S. Secret Service at 256-922-5408.
The U.S. Secret Service is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Russell E. Penfield is prosecuting. A grand jury does not decide innocence or guilt, but they decide whether there is “probable cause” to believe a crime has been committed and whether the government should file formal charges against the party in question.
Greene is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
