Brothers Laith and Hussein Ghzo and Musab Sawai Convicted in Odometer Rollback Scheme Involving Hundreds of Used Cars

Case from 2022–2025 (U.S. Attorney's Office release: Nov. 3, 2022; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Three Chicago-area men were indicted in 2022 for a years-long scheme to roll back odometers on hundreds of used cars and alter title paperwork to match the false mileage, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois announced [1]. Laith Ghzo pleaded guilty in April 2024 [2]. His brother Hussein Ghzo was convicted by a federal jury in July 2024, and Musab Sawai also pleaded guilty, according to a published report of a Justice Department announcement [3]. Court records show all three were later sentenced in 2025 [4].

How the scheme worked

According to court documents described by the Justice Department [1] [2] [3]:

1. Buying high-mileage cars. The men bought high-mileage vehicles at auto auctions and brought them to Chicago.
2. Rolling back odometers. They had the odometers rolled back to show false, lower mileage.
3. "Washing" titles. They altered the title paperwork to match the false mileage and submitted it to the Illinois Secretary of State to get "clean" titles.
4. Reselling. The cars were sold to car dealers who didn't know the truth, and then to consumers, who paid more than they would have with accurate mileage.

At trial, according to the report, the evidence showed Hussein Ghzo was warned three separate times that cars he was selling had rolled-back mileage and kept going, including by posing as other people to hide his identity [3]. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that odometer fraud costs U.S. consumers more than $1 billion a year [1].

The defendants

All three cases were before U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah, under N.D. Ill. No. 1:22-cr-00567.

• Laith Ghzo, 37, Oak Lawn. Pleaded guilty April 25, 2024, to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, which carries a maximum of five years in prison [2]. Court records show a sentencing hearing on March 5, 2025, and judgment entered March 13, 2025 [4].
• Hussein Ghzo, 42, Palos Heights. Convicted by a jury in July 2024 of conspiracy to commit securities fraud [3].
• Musab Sawai, 36, Worth. Pleaded guilty before Hussein Ghzo's trial [3].

Court records for the two remaining defendants show sentencing hearings on March 13, 2025, and Sept. 11, 2025 [4]. The public entries we reviewed do not list the sentence terms for any of the three.

The case was investigated by NHTSA's Office of Odometer Fraud Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and prosecuted with the Justice Department's Consumer Protection Branch [1].

Red flags

• Low mileage that doesn't match the car's wear, such as worn pedals, seats or steering wheel.
• Title or service records with mileage that jumps around, or a recently reissued title.
• A vehicle history report showing higher mileage at an earlier date than the odometer now reads.

What to do

1. Get a vehicle history report and compare mileage records over time, and have an independent mechanic inspect the car.
2. Check the title for signs of alteration and compare it with the odometer.
3. Report suspected odometer fraud to NHTSA's hotline at 888-327-4236 or nhtsa.gov, and to your state attorney general.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Laith Ghzo, 37, Oak Lawn	N.D. Ill. (1:22-cr-00567)	Pleaded guilty April 25, 2024; sentenced (hearing March 5, 2025; judgment March 13, 2025); terms not found	[2], [4]
Hussein Ghzo, 42, Palos Heights	N.D. Ill.	Convicted at trial July 2024; sentenced in 2025 per court records; terms not found	[3], [4]
Musab Sawai, 36, Worth	N.D. Ill.	Pleaded guilty; sentenced in 2025 per court records; terms not found	[3], [4]

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois / U.S. Department of Justice, "Three Chicago Men Charged with Odometer and Title Fraud," Nov. 3, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/three-chicago-men-charged-odometer-and-title-fraud
2. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Illinois Man Pleads Guilty in Odometer Tampering Conspiracy," April 25, 2024. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/illinois-man-pleads-guilty-odometer-tampering-conspiracy
3. Small Business Trends, "Illinois Man Convicted in Odometer Tampering Case," Aug. 2, 2024 (reporting a Justice Department announcement). https://smallbiztrends.com/illinois-man-convicted-odometer-tampering-case/
4. CourtListener, United States v. Ghzo, No. 1:22-cr-00567 (N.D. Ill.), docket records. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/65663750/united-states-v-ghzo/

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