More than 100 buyers across Spain are covered by an agreement reached at the Audiencia Provincial de Lugo on 26 October 2026. Ten of the 13 defendants accepted terms with the Fiscalía, avoiding a trial scheduled to run from 26 to 30 October.
The agreement sets out 18 months in prison for fraud and a further six months for membership of a criminal group, bringing the total to two years per defendant. Three defendants must also complete 70 days of community service and pay a €1,000 fine. The defence has asked for the prison terms to be suspended, a request backed by the Fiscalía. The court must decide in its sentence.
The terms are below the original prosecution demands: five years in prison for fraud, a €7,200 fine and another year for membership of a criminal group. The prosecution had sought a combined 78 years for all 13 defendants. The defendants must compensate victims information from the losses they suffered. The three basic defendants have already deposited €20,000 towards partial reparation.
The alleged scheme operated from 2014 to 2017 and affected buyers of 112 second-hand vehicles. El Progreso reported that the cars’ recorded mileage had been reduced by almost 26 million kilometres in total. The vehicles were mainly models in the mid- and high-end ranges. Members of the group bought cars with high mileage or mechanical faults that sharply reduced their market value, then altered the odometers to show lower readings and raise the cars’ resale value. One reported buyer discovered that a vehicle had 700,000 kilometres more than the mileage presented at sale.
Investigators also described duplicated or modified ITV inspection cards and circulation permits intended to conceal vehicle histories. Prosecutors said the cars were taken through technical inspections after the odometer changes, allowing the lower readings to enter Dirección General de Tráfico records. They were then advertised online with false details about their use and condition. According to the Fiscalía, buyers would not have made the purchases on the same terms had they known the real mileage and defects. A separate RUSSPAIN report covered trail-bike registration figures; this case concerns the reliability of information given to used-car buyers.
