Officials say man rolled back odometers

A man facing federal charges of aggravated identity theft as part of a car odometer rollback scheme was arrested Thursday in north Spokane by U.S. Secret Service agents.

Now those agents and investigator James Tilley of the U.S. attorney’s office are asking the public to contact them if they purchased a vehicle from Tam Quang Do.

The 31-year-old suspect is named in a nine-count indictment that accuses him of three counts of altering odometers, three counts of aggravated identity theft and three counts of mail fraud.

He was arrested about 10:45 a.m. Thursday when Secret Service agents stopped his car without incident near North Foothills Drive and Ruby Street.

He was ordered held without bond after an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cynthia Imbrogno. She scheduled a bail hearing for Tuesday after Quang Do claimed language barriers prevented him from understanding court proceedings.

Aspects of the investigation go back to 2004 when a person who bought a car from Quang Do contacted the Spokane Police Department, said Kevin Miller, resident agent in charge with the Secret Service.

The suspect is believed to have sold dozens of vehicles, usually as private-party sales, investigators said.

The indictment alleges Quang Do “devised a scheme to purchase used motor vehicles with high mileage and then roll back their odometers.”

He would then put the cars up for sale by placing advertisements in local publications, assuming the identity of the previous owner during the transaction, U.S. Attorney Jim McDevitt said in a prepared statement.

By assuming the identity of the previous owner, Quang Do’s name would not appear on various titles and ownership transfer documents required by the Washington Department of Licensing, which assisted in the investigation.

“He would represent to buyers that the mileage figures were lower than the vehicle’s actual mileage, causing the buyers to pay higher prices for the vehicle than they would otherwise pay,” McDevitt said.

Quang Do typically would meet prospective buyers in parking lots of supermarkets and grocery stores, the U.S. attorney said.

A conviction for altering odometers carries a penalty of not more than five years in prison, while a conviction for aggravated identity theft carries a penalty of two to 20 years in prison. A mail fraud conviction carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.