Wichita car dealer rolled back odometers, lied to Dept. of Revenue, indictment says

Amy Renee Leiker
·2 min read

A Derby businessman who ran three used car dealerships in Wichita is in trouble after he allegedly rolled back the odometers on nine vehicles then used falsified documents to obtain their titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue before selling them to unsuspecting customers, according to an indictment filed in federal court last week.

In one instance, Adam Newbrey, 31, had the odometer on a 2006 Honda Pilot rolled back more than 259,000 miles, the indictment says. The other vehicles also had their odometer readings decreased by thousands of miles, according to the indictment.

A lawyer listed for Newbrey in court records didn’t immediately respond to a message seeking comment Monday.

The indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in Wichita last week, charges Newbrey with 27 counts:

  • Nine counts of odometer tampering

  • Nine counts of aggravated identity theft

  • Seven counts of mail fraud

  • One count of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud

  • One count of wire fraud

A Monday news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Kansas says Newbrey “allegedly purchased used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma” in 2020 and 2021, had the odometers altered “and then used fraudulent documents to obtain titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue reflecting the falsified odometer readings.”

He then used titles with the misrepresented, lower mileages to trick buyers into paying higher prices, according to the release and the indictment.

Newbrey operated Ideal Motors, which is also known as I-Deal Motors, Midwest Wholesale and Prestige Motors, according to the release.

The indictment says he had the odometers altered on a:

  • 2006 Honda Pilot from 361,359 to 102,487

  • 2006 Kia Sedona from 244,880 to 103,499

  • 2007 Mazda CX-7 from 106,058 to 89,211

  • 2010 Honda CRV from 277,141 to 97,308

  • 2011 Subaru Outback from 144,452 to 72,414

  • 2012 Ford F150 from 196,062 to 118,089

  • 2013 Chevrolet Equinox from 211,330 to 74,100

  • 2013 Dodge Ram from 157,938 to 61,290

  • 2014 Toyota Tundra from 189,880 to 91,294

Odometer readings help determine the value and price of vehicles for sale. They can also aid potential buyers in determining a vehicle’s safety and reliability.

Odometers can be altered through a variety of means, including resetting it to a lower number, using an electronic odometer programming tool to reprogram it, or swapping out parts that house the odometer with ones from a different vehicle, according to the indictment.

Tampering with an odometer to misrepresent a vehicle’s mileage is illegal.

Newbrey made his initial appearance in court on Friday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks Severson, the release says.