Auto dealership owner Randy Huff made his first court appearance Friday in a case in which he is charged with tampering with odometers.

Huff was arraigned in U.S. District Court in Bowling Green, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Brent Brennenstuhl entered a not guilty plea on Huff’s behalf on four counts of odometer tampering and one count each of wire fraud and conspiring to tamper with odometers.

Huff’s attorney, Scott Cox, said after the hearing that he anticipated receiving later that day the evidence the government has relied on to bring criminal charges and he looks forward to reviewing the evidence with Huff.

A federal grand jury indicted Huff and one of his employees, Donnie Wilson, earlier in June.

Huff owns and operates South Side Auto Sales in Bowling Green and Huff’s Auto Sales in Beaver Dam, while Wilson worked for Huff at South Side from 2016 to 2020.

The indictment alleges that Huff was aided by Wilson in a conspiracy from about June 2018 until January of this year that involved Huff directing mechanics at his dealerships to switch out odometers in the vehicle stock at both dealerships and installing odometers with lower mileage readouts, thereby inducing buyers to pay more for vehicles than they would have paid had they known the true mileage.

“As part of the scheme, Randy Huff, aided and abetted by Donnie Wilson and other employees, purchased vehicles with the intent to fraudulently alter the mileage shown on the odometers and then to resell the vehicles at a higher price,” the indictment said.

Huff is also accused of directing employees to alter vehicle titles so that they showed the falsified lower mileage readings.

A total of 22 vehicles are identified in the indictment as receiving odometers with lower mileage readings and then sold between June 19, 2018, and Nov. 10, 2022.

The indictment alleges that four vehicles, three of which were sold at Southside, the other at Huff’s, had odometer readings that were altered by several thousand miles.

A 2010 Nissan Xterra sold in 2020 at Huff’s had a prior recorded mileage of 211,184 miles, but was sold with an altered reading of 71,835 miles, according to the indictment.

At Southside, a 2007 Jeep Cherokee came to the business with 189,520 miles on its odometer, but was sold in 2018 with an odometer reading of 71,756 miles, the indictment said.

A 2011 Nissan Altima and a 2006 Honda Pilot were sold in 2020 at Southside with falsified odometer records that showed mileage totals that had been reduced by 77,898 and 75,388 miles, respectively, according to the indictment.

The wire fraud count concerns an allegation that Huff directed Wilson to request a new title for the 2011 Nissan Altima that reflected a falsified lower odometer reading.

In court Friday, Brennenstuhl ruled that Huff will be allowed to remain free on a $25,000 unsecured bond, and he is to have no contact with Wilson.

While on bond pending trial, Huff is not to discuss his case with current employees or customers.

“Any contact he has with employees will be strictly related to business,” Cox said during Friday’s arraignment when requesting bond conditions.

The wire fraud count is the most serious charge against Huff and Wilson, carrying a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. 

The remaining counts related to odometer tampering are punishable by up to three years in prison.

The next hearing for Huff in this case is a telephonic conference with U.S. District Court Chief Judge Greg Stivers set for July 18.