Wednesday, March 7, 2007
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Diagnostic Buy Download | More information ____________ Avoid ID Theft
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A federal grand jury in Dallas indicted Massoud Mortazavi-Koupai of Plano with six counts of mail fraud and three counts of making a false statement on transfer of a used motor vehicle, related to a fraudulent scheme which included concealing structural damage and odometer discrepancies. It is anticipated that Mortazavi-Koupai, 46, will surrender to federal authorities and then appear before a U.S. magistrate judge.
According to the indictment, Massoud Mortazavi-Koupai was in the business of buying and selling used motor vehicles, doing business under the names of Interfirst Leasing and DFW Remarketing in Richardson. Mortazavi-Koupai bought vehicles at wholesale automobile auctions that required dealers selling at the auctions to notify the dealers if a motor vehicle had sustained structural damage. In accordance with wholesale auction practice, these structurally damaged vehicles were sold separately from vehicles without serious problems.
In addition, federal law requires that the seller of a vehicle must disclose the mileage on the vehicle to the buyer in writing, and sign the written disclosure. The seller must certify that the odometer reading reflects the actual mileage, or, if the seller knows that the odometer reading differs from the actual mileage, it also must be disclosed.