Attorney general sues Springfield auto dealer

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster on Friday filed suit against Springfield-based Excel Auto Group LLC, alleging the company altered the odometers of vehicles.

The attorney general's office also filed a temporary restraining order prohibiting the company - owned by defendant Ashley Chey Bolten - from selling vehicles or falsifying vehicle odometers; violating Missouri's consumer protection laws; advertising, transferring, hiding or selling motor vehicles; or disposing documents related to the advertisement or sale of vehicles, according to court documents.

The auto dealer is located at 3389 S. Scenic Ave., according to the Google listing for its Web site, which was inactive this morning.

The suit and restraining order stem from allegations that the company advertised, marketed and sold vehicles with artificially deflated mileages. According to the release, Excel Auto Group on at least two separate occasions allegedly advertised a 2002 Toyota Sequoia with mileage of 119,600, when it actually had more than 200,000 miles.

The suit claims Excel Auto Group violated the state's Merchandising Practices Act by using fraudulent tactics to sell its vehicles.

“Consumers should be able to trust that a car they purchase has the correct mileage,” Koster said in the release. “I want to continue to assure consumers that this office will be aggressive in going after those who engage in this illegal behavior.”

A court hearing for Koster's request for a preliminary injunction is scheduled June 21 at the Greene County Judicial Courts Facility, 1010 N. Boonville Ave.