Othello Man Sentenced to 15 Months Incarceration for Odometer Tampering

Spokane, Washington – First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano announced that on March 17, 2026, in Spokane, Washington, U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca L. Pennell sentenced Reynaldo Garza, age 53, of Othello, Washington, to 15 months incarceration and ordered he pay $21,080 in restitution to four victims of his scheme to rollback odometers in used vehicles.  Judge Pennell also ordered that, following his incarceration, Garza be on supervised release for 1 year. As a condition of his supervised release, Judge Pennell ordered that Garza is not permitted to sell any vehicles.

On October 1, 2025, a federal jury in Spokane, Washington convicted Garza of five felony counts of Odometer Tampering.  As evidence presented at the trial established, a thorough investigation initiated by the Adams County Sheriff’s Office determined that Garza would purchase used high-mileage cars for cheap. Garza would replace the odometers in the vehicles with an odometer purchased from wrecking yards or used auto parts sellers.  The new odometer would display many fewer miles than the vehicle’s actual mileage.  Garza then sold the vehicles under the false and fraudulent representation that they had fewer miles than was true.  In some cases, Garza sold cars by misrepresenting the mileage by up to 100,000 miles less than the actual mileage.  In other cases, the difference was tens of thousands of miles.  In doing so, Garza made thousands of dollars in profits for each fraudulent sale. 

In total, Garza tampered with the odometers of at least 21 different vehicles. At sentencing, the United States offered the testimony of an expert who calculated that the total miles removed by Garza via odometer rollback was 2,142,682 miles.

In sentencing Garza to 15 months, Judge Pennell acknowledged that Garza’s conduct was not an isolated event, but had been ongoing for years, and that Garza committed a significant offense where he targeted his own community and breached their trust.  Judge Pennell further stated that the dollar amount lost did not fully reflect the pain and suffering that Garza’s conduct had caused to his victims. In argument, the United States explicitly referenced how several victims still have to drive the vehicle Garza tampered with because they simply cannot afford to purchase a different vehicle.

“Mr. Garza is not the first nor the last person commit odometer fraud in the Eastern District of Washington. Our office takes these crimes seriously and will investigate and prosecute all instances of odometer tampering. Mr. Garza’s sentence reflects the harm he imposed on our community. This sentence should serve as a message that odometer tampering is a significant and serious offense that will not be tolerated in our community,” stated First Assistant Serrano.

“Odometer fraud is a serious and costly crime. It's also dangerous. These purchasers were defrauded into believing that the vehicles were more than 100,000 miles newer than in reality—taking on additional risks from safety-critical components affecting steering and braking.  NHTSA is committed to working with U.S. Attorneys’ offices to investigate, prosecute and sentence those who defraud unsuspecting car buyers. This sentencing provides justice for the numerous victims who suffered significant financial losses. NHTSA will continue to protect Americans from these deceptive and dangerous practices,” stated NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Odometer Fraud and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jeremy J. Kelley. and Jacob E. Brooks.

Individuals with information relating to odometer tampering should call NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236. More information on odometer fraud, including prevention tips, is available on NHTSA’s website.