Two men were arrested after Roseville police uncovered an alleged Sacramento-area fraud ring accused of selling cars with rolled-back odometers.
ROSEVILLE, Calif. — Two men were arrested after a yearlong investigation led by the Roseville Police Department into an alleged vehicle fraud scheme involving rolled-back odometers across the Sacramento area, according to police.
The investigation began after a victim in Roseville purchased a vehicle from a private seller that investigators later determined had a fraudulently altered odometer.
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Detectives said what initially appeared to be a single case expanded into a broader investigation involving multiple victims throughout the region.
Investigators allege the fraud ring sold vehicles with illegally tampered odometers to show lower mileage than the vehicles had actually traveled.
On May 1, Roseville police and partner agencies executed search and arrest warrants in Sacramento County as part of the investigation.
Police said 28-year-old Rustam Mirzoev and 29-year-old Dmitrii Grunin were arrested on suspicion of felony identity theft, conspiracy, theft by false pretenses and odometer tampering. Both were booked into the South Placer County Jail.
Authorities also seized, investigators say, eight vehicles connected to the alleged fraud scheme that had rolled-back odometers.
The investigation involved several agencies, including the Placer Regional Auto Theft Task Force, the San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigation, the Diplomatic Security Service and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Police are urging buyers to research vehicles carefully before purchasing from private sellers or online marketplaces by checking VIN records, reviewing vehicle history reports and having vehicles inspected independently.
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