Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Ashley Duff, 27, and Ginger Sipes, 58, both of Shirley, were indicted for Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree, for allegedly selling motor vehicles that had their odometer’s mileage turned back, falsely increasing the vehicles’ value so that customers paid higher prices than what the vehicles were actually worth.
“Fraudulent business practices such as tampering with vehicle odometers and inflating prices undermines trust in the marketplace which has a devastating impact on honest local business owners, and causes consumers to purchase vehicles at artificially inflated prices,” said District Attorney Tierney. “The alleged crimes are impactful, and we intend to prosecute these defendants to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The National Insurance Crime Bureau would like to applaud the staff of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the investigators who tirelessly participated in the investigation,” said Kevin Gallagher, Regional Director of the Northeast Region of the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). “We are pleased that NICB had the opportunity to provide support. Individuals that prey on unsuspecting consumers by rolling back vehicle odometers to increase their profit will not be tolerated and those responsible will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
According to the investigation, between July 27, 2020, to May 6, 2022, more than a dozen victims of the alleged odometer rollback scheme filed complaints with the Suffolk County Police Department, prompting them to contact the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the District Attorney Squad, who initiated this investigation with the specialized assistance from the NICB.
An extensive investigation revealed that ABB Auto World Inc. allegedly purchased high mileage vehicles from car auctions, some with over 200,000 miles documented on their odometers, and then had the odometers rolled back to show lower mileages. The vehicles would then allegedly be advertised for sale by the defendants on Facebook Marketplace. Sales paperwork was allegedly fraudulently created with false mileage and presented to the victims as authentic. This resulted in ABB Auto World Inc. charging thousands of dollars more for each vehicle than what the vehicles were worth.
Both defendants were indicted for Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, a Class E felony, and Conspiracy in the Fifth Degree, a Class A misdemeanor. Both charges are considered non-bail eligible under current New York State law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set bail.
On April 17, 2024, Duff, president of ABB Auto World Inc., was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski, who released Duff on her own recognizance during the pendency of the case. Duff is due back in court on May 30, 2024, and she is being represented by Lindsay Henry, Esq.
On April 22, 2024, Sipes, a saleswoman at ABB Auto World Inc., was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis, who released Sipes on her own recognizance during the pendency of the case. Sipes is due back in court on May 30, 2024, and she is also being represented by Lindsay Henry, Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorneys James Bartens and Adriana Noyola of the Financial Crimes Bureau, and the investigation was conducted by Detectives Randy Edwards and Kevin Braithwaite of the Suffolk County Police Department’s District Attorney Squad.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
