In the bustling trade of used vehicles, a San Antonio car dealership manager has been sentenced to a six-month stint behind bars for altering mileage readings on cars sold to unsuspecting customers. Felipe Alcibar, 62, who helmed operations at Autotex Financial, also faces a hefty bill for his misdeeds, ordered to fork over more than a quarter of a million dollars in restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Engaged in manipulations that spanned from as early as October 2020 until at least November 2023, Alcibar's craft extended to multiple vehicles in the Autotex Financial lot. A federal court found him guilty, demanding payment to the turn of $264,747.05, after having disconnected, reset, or otherwise tampered with the odometers, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
His day in court came swiftly following a charge in a one-count information filed on Oct. 8, 2024, as per a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Texas. Alcibar succumbed to his fraudulence on Oct. 30 of the same year, pleading guilty in a legal chapter brought to a close with his sentencing.
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Odometer Fraud uncovered the scheme that led to Alcibar’s conviction. Acting U.S. Attorney Margaret Leachman stated that tampering with odometers harms the car market's honesty. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Chung prosecuted the case, ensuring justice was served to hold the dishonest dealer accountable, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
