REDDITCH fraudsters Jarolslaw Skoneczny and Grzegorz Jezierski have been jailed after pleading guilty to conspiracy to defraud.
Skoneczny of Binton Close, Matchborough and Jezierski of Flanders Close, Church Hill sold second hand cars, predominantly Mazda 6 and Mazda 5 models, drastically reducing the mileages recorded on the odometers and supplying falsified MoT certificates and service histories to make them look legitimate.
Worcestershire Trading Standards began to receive complaints from members of the public in September 2014 and a criminal investigation was initiated.
Due to the scale of the operation Police assistance was sought which culminated in entry warrants being executed and the arrest of both individuals.
Evidence was provided to the court in relation to 12 vehicles. These were found to have been clocked to a total in excess of 690,501 miles.
West Mercia Police took over the prosecution and Jezierski and Skoneczny were jailed for 15 months each and Jezierski’s assets of £14,000 were confiscated.
Recorder Gareth Evans QC heard the case and stated both men had “deliberately and professionally” clocked cars.
Peter Holmes, Senior Trading Standards Officer with Worcestershire Trading Standards said: “These were rogue car dealers. They intentionally sought to defraud consumers by showing them cars in the street that weren’t associated with their home addresses, changed their trading name and mobile numbers on a regular basis and provided MoT certificates and service histories that had been falsified to make the cars look genuine and of good quality.
“We worked closely with the Police to produce the evidence which enabled a successful prosecution. Justice has been done for the victims concerned.”
He added: “”Consumers are advised they should never buy a car in the street. Always verify the address of the seller and if it is a private sale, view the car at the seller’s home address.
“Do your homework. Check a vehicle’s MoT history online. A vehicle older than three years will have a freely available MoT history where you can check the mileage.”
