A Rhode Island man will serve time in prison for for defrauding consumers by selling dozens of cars with significant “rollbacks” on vehicle odometers, the attorney general said Monday.
Pablo Beato, 53, was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 15 months at the Adult Correctional Institutions and 15 years of probation, Attorney General Peter Neronha said in a statement.
Beato was also ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution over 15 years to his victims. Superior Court Justice R. David Cruise handed down his sentence.
Beato on Wednesday pleaded nolo contendere to one count each of conspiracy to tamper with odometers, conspiracy to obtain money under false pretenses, and conspiracy to commit forgery.
“Fortunately, this defendant’s scheme ran out of gas,” Neronha said. “We see no shortage of deceptive trade practices in Rhode Island, and we prosecute offenders both civilly and criminally to protect consumers from bad actors who wish to take advantage of them.”
Neronha said he’s grateful for the investigators in his office who worked to bring justice and to return $150,000 in restitution to the victims.
Had the case proceeded to trial, prosecutors were prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that between 2018 and 2021, Beato tampered with and rolled back the odometers of 42 vehicles, which he eventually sold to consumers, Neronha said.
In early 2020, investigators with the Rhode Island State Police received multiple reports from the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles regarding forged certificates of title.
After further review, both titles revealed damage to the documents’ security features consistent with writing over the odometer mileage disclosures to reflect lower mileage than was actually reported, Neronha said.
The owners of both vehicles reported buying their vehicles from Beato at P.B. Auto Repair & Import LLC located on Cranston Street in Providence.
On Feb. 17, 2020, state police investigators visited the dealership to inspect the business and advised Beato by telephone that he did not have the proper licensing to sell motor vehicles in Rhode Island.
The next day, investigators drove by the dealership and noticed that the business appeared closed, with all vehicles previously displayed at the property removed, Neronha said.
In April 2020, investigators saw that Beato had moved his sales location to his home on Kenwood Street in Providence.
Investigators subsequently obtained search warrants for several social media accounts and physical addresses associated with Beato.
Through the warrants and surveillance of the properties, investigators determined that Beato used Facebook and Craigslist to post vehicles for sale and sold 42 vehicles with odometers that had been tampered with to reflect lower mileage counts, Neronha said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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