Randy Huff

An SUV that was totaled in a crash in which the airbag did not deploy, a car whose owner spent about $10,000 on repairs, another car whose owner was refused repair service by the dealership despite having a warranty.

All three vehicles were bought by customers from dealerships owned by Randy Huff, who was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison for several crimes stemming from an investigation into odometer tampering.

Huff, 59, previously owned South Side Auto Sales in Bowling Green and Huff’s Auto Sales in Beaver Dam, selling used vehicles.

In 2020, the Warren County Clerk’s office noticed an abnormal number of odometer correction forms from Huff’s dealerships, leading to an investigator from the Kentucky Motor Vehicle Commission questioning Huff.

According to court records, Huff claimed the instrument clusters containing the odometers were removed due to malfunctions, but further monitoring from investigators uncovered subsequent odometer changes, which led to the U.S. Department of Transportation getting involved.

What authorities found was that Huff and employees at his direction removed odometers from dozens of vehicles bought at auction, with the instrument clusters replaced by odometers that showed mileage readings thousands of miles less than the true figure.

A mechanic interviewed by an investigator estimated that he replaced 80 functioning instrument clusters at Huff’s direction from 2018 to 2023 and was instructed to trash or burn the removed parts, according to court records.

Huff pleaded guilty earlier this year to four counts of odometer tampering and one count each of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit odometer tampering.

At Huff’s sentencing hearing Wednesday in U.S. District Court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond McGee argued for Huff to receive a 27-month prison sentence, arguing that his crimes victimized people of limited financial means and poor credit, in many cases securing from customers cash down payments for vehicles in a greater amount than what Huff bought them for at auction.

McGee argued that, had customers known the true mileage of the vehicles, they would not have bought them.

“He’s undermined the integrity of the used car system,” McGee said. “This hurts consumers financially and also compromises their safety.”

The 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee with a non-functioning airbag that was totaled in a crash had an odometer reading of 111,800 miles when Huff sold it; its true mileage was 286,012 miles, records show.

A 2010 Nissan XTerra sold at Huff’s Beaver Dam lot in 2020 arrived at the lot with an odometer reading of 211,184 miles, but was sold with a mileage reading of 71,835 miles.

“I apologize to the people that I’ve hurt,” Huff said when given a chance to address the court Wednesday. “Everything that’s happened, I accept full responsibility for it.”

A co-defendant in the case, Donnie Wilson, was placed on probation for the same offenses.

Huff’s attorney, Scott Cox, argued for Huff to be placed on home incarceration, in part due to a collection of chronic health maladies affecting Huff.

Cox said that Huff suffered a violent fall some years ago that caused a brain injury, was diagnosed with degenerative disc disease in his neck and lower back and takes multiple medications for low blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, neuropathic pain and other ailments.

Huff appeared in court Wednesday in a motorized power scooter, as he had when he pleaded guilty in January.

Several people wrote letters of support ahead of Huff’s sentencing that described his works in the community, which Cox described as taking the form of coaching thousands of children over the years in youth baseball, previously operating the South Side Sober Ride bus to provide a safe ride home for downtown bar patrons late at night and using the bus to transport clothing and other goods to homeless shelters.

“There’s no question that what he did in this case is bad and there’s no excuse for it, but we need to look at the full person,” Cox said.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Greg Stivers determined, however, that incarceration was necessary to promote respect for the law and deter others from committing similar crimes.

“In terms of serving as a role model for children, that’s a stained legacy for sure,” Stivers said while pronouncing the 18-month sentence. “To know that a coach who helped and mentored them was cheating people systematically would cause confusion to people who looked up to you…and that shame is duly earned.”

Huff will report to prison at a later date.

In addition to the 18-month sentence, Huff was ordered to pay $40,000 in restitution.