Cuyahoga Falls Man Indicted for Craigslist Car Scam

A Cuyahoga Falls man was indicted on Thursday by a Summit County grand jury, , according to our news partner WEWS Chennel 5. 

Shannon Payne, 35, defrauded car buyers by selling high-mileage vehicles on Craigslist after rolling back the odometers, according to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Payne is also a registered sex offender.

He was indicted on six counts of tampering with records, one count of theft, one count of fraud and one count of forgery.

The charges involve three transactions in which Payne is accused of buying vehicles on craigslist and having the owner assign the title to him.

The investigation found that Payne used falsified power-of-attorney forms, utilizing the notary services of his wife, Carrianne Payne, to obtain replacement titles, after which he swapped out the odometers in the vehicles to reflect a lower mileage.

Carrianne Payne was not charged in the case, but she has surrendered her notary commission.

BMV investigations have identified other apparent victims of this scheme. They can contact BMV Investigator Robert Gallo at 440-845-1850.