Koster files charges against Springfield auto dealer

Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster today filed criminal charges against a Springfield used car dealer, alleging the man misrepresented the mileage on two cars he sold via Excel Auto Group.

Ashley Bolton, owner of Springfield-based Excel Auto Group, is charged with two counts of unlawful merchandising practices, according to a news release.

The charges follow a mid-2012 lawsuit, in which Koster claimed Bolton rolled back the odometers on two vehicles in 2011 and 2012: one he sold that allegedly represented 99,000 miles when it actually had more than 180,000 miles, and another he sold less than a month later which allegedly showed 199,000 miles when it actually had nearly 220,000 miles.

“We believe that Ashley Bolton took advantage of consumers who trusted him,” Koster said in the release. “We intend to protect consumers by vigorously prosecuting any individual who takes money out of Missourians’ pockets by violating our consumer-protection laws.”

According to the release, unlawful merchandising practices are punishable by up to four years in the Department of Corrections, or up to a year in county jail, with a fine of up to $5,000, or double the amount the defendant gained from the crime not to exceed $20,000.