2 Long Island Women Charged In Odometer Rollback Scam: DA

RIVERSIDE, NY — Two Shirley women were indicted for scheme to defraud in the first degree and conspiracy in the fifth degree, for 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 worth, Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said Tuesday.

Charged in the scheme are Ashley Duff, 27, president of the company, and Ginger Sipes, 58, a saleswoman.

Both were indicted for first-degree scheme to defraud, fifth-degree conspiracy, and both charges are considered non-bail eligible under current state law, meaning prosecutors cannot ask for, and judges cannot set bail, prosecutors said.

The pair were charged in connection with selling vehicles at ABB Auto World Inc., a business, which was on Montauk Highway in Brookhaven, was shut down last year, according to spokeswoman for Tierney's office.

It was a Florida-based corporation, she said.

Patch has reached out to pair's attorney, Lindsay Henry of Babylon, for comment.

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 specialized assistance from the NICB, prosecutors said.

An extensive investigation revealed ABB Auto World Inc. 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, according to prosecutors.

The vehicles would then allegedly be advertised for sale by the defendants on Facebook Marketplace, prosecutors said, adding that 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, according to prosecutors.

Further details were not immediately available.

“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,” Tierney said. “The alleged crimes are impactful, and we intend to prosecute these defendants to the fullest extent of the law.”

Kevin Gallagher, the regional director of the Northeast Region of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, said lauded Tierney's office, saying it "tirelessly" worked on the investigation.

“We are pleased that NICB had the opportunity to provide support," he said. "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.”

On April 17, 2024, Duff was arraigned on the indictment and released on her own recognizance during the pendency of the case.

She is due back in court on May 30, 2024.

On April 22, 2024, was arraigned on the indictment and was released on her own recognizance during the pendency of the case. She is due back in court on May 30, 2024.