Gavel
Mehran Amini was charged with acting as a dealer without registration, contrary to the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act, and for engaging in an unfair business practice related to odometer tampering in contravention of the Consumer Protection Act.
“This is the longest sentence handed out in Ontario for illegal vehicle sales,” said Michael Rothe, Director of Legal Services for OMVIC. “And it sends an important and strong message to those who would prey on Ontario consumers.”
Amini was charged when OMVIC investigators discovered he had brought thirty vehicles — mostly late model pickup trucks with high mileage — from Western Canada to Ontario, rolled back the odometers, and then sold them to unsuspecting customers.
“This individual is responsible for a great deal of consumer harm,” said Larry Edgar, Acting Director of Investigations for OMVIC. “When the true history of the vehicles became known, the purchasers found themselves with trucks worth far less than they had paid and many faced unexpected expensive repairs (due to the high mileages), some of which had crippling financial implications for the buyers.”
Evidence presented in court showed Amini placed ads in online marketplaces posing as a private seller, though he told some buyers he was a dealer, and that he used multiple aliases, said OMVIC.
Records show these are not the first curbsider convictions for Amini: he has been charged and convicted by OMVIC on two other occasions for the same behaviour.
OMVIC is continuing to crack down on illegal, unlicensed dealers, and is informing the public on how to spot curbsiders.
