By Trish Svoboda

A Wichita federal grand jury has indicted a businessman from Kansas, Adam Newbrey, 31, of Derby, on 27 counts of criminal misconduct related to tampering with vehicle odometers. Court records reveal that Newbrey ran three used car businesses in Wichita, including Ideal Motors, Midwest Wholesale, and Prestige Motors.

It is alleged that during 2020 and 2021, Newbrey bought used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma, changed their odometers, and then got titles from the Kansas Department of Revenue using fake documents that displayed the altered odometer readings. He is further accused of deceiving customers who bought vehicles by using these titles with misrepresented mileage.

Newbrey’s charges include one count of conspiracy to commit odometer fraud, nine counts of odometer tampering, seven counts of mail fraud, nine counts of aggravated identity theft, and one count of wire fraud.

The case is currently under investigation by the Office of Special Investigations of the Kansas Department of Revenue and the Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation of the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.