MAHANOY CITY, Schuylkill County — A Schuylkill County car dealer is facing theft by deception charges after State Police say he rolled back the odometer on a used Chevrolet Silverado by nearly 300,000 miles before selling it to a customer.
Police say they charged George Mammarealla, the owner of Village Auto in Mahanoy City, on Sept. 27 after receiving a complaint from the customer who bought the truck on May 12. The customer said the truck was listed for sale at $12,500, and the odometer displayed a reading of approximately 61,000 miles. When the victim questioned Mammarealla about the mileage, Mammarealla told him that the mileage was true and correct, and that the 2001 pickup truck had only been owned by one person in Virginia, police allege.
The victim offered Mammarealla $10,000 for the truck, which Mammarealla accepted, police say.
After an investigation, police determined that Mammarealla purchased the vehicle with 344,174 miles on it, and rolled the odometer back to 63,269 miles.
In addition to the theft by deception charge, Mammarealla was also charged with deceptive business practices, engaging in unprofessional conduct, and substantial misrepresentation of material fact, police say.
