Salesman Sentenced in Used-Car Fraud

A Placentia used-car salesman was sentenced Monday to 6 1/2 years in prison for tampering with odometer readings and then fleeing the state after a jury found him guilty of the fraud.

Leslie Barnett, 52, who operated Placentia-based His and Hers Automart, was convicted in 1994 of rolling back the odometers on more than 900 cars, causing car buyers to overpay by about $4.5 million, according to the Justice Department.

A jury in Santa Ana found Barnett guilty, but he failed to surrender and remained a fugitive for 4 1/2 years. He was arrested in December 1998 in Florida.

As part of Barnett’s sentence, U.S. District Judge Gary Taylor also ordered him to pay a $10,000 fine and $54,974 in restitution to two auto dealers. Barnett’s attorney could not be reached for comment.