- Trio fined $240,000 for illicit scheme involving unregistered, written off vehicles
- Nearly 600,000km wiped off the odometers of four vehicles
- One of WA’s largest cases involving unlicensed car dealing
Three individuals have been fined $240,000 by the Perth Magistrates Court for engaging in illegal activities with written-off vehicles.
Their scheme involved purchasing mainly unregistered, written-off vehicles from online auctions, repairing and sometimes winding back their odometers, before re-registering and selling them to unsuspecting consumers. Multiple people were involved, including some being paid to use their identity for buying and selling cars, to try and avoid detection by the Department of Transport.
The ringleader, Faiez Al-Defeari of Mirrabooka, received the largest penalty, ordered to pay $140,000 for two counts of unlicensed motor vehicle dealing and four counts of odometer tampering, in breach of the Motor Vehicle Dealers Act. This marks Al-Defeari’s second unlicensed dealing conviction, following a $6,500 fine in 2013, and adds to a criminal history that includes a fraud offence.
His accomplices, Danielle Norman of Beechboro and Ali Alkhnaizi of Balga were fined $70,000 and $30,000 respectively for their involvement in unlicensed dealing and, in Norman’s case, odometer tampering. In total, the group was ordered to pay $2,694.30 in costs.
While many of the 178 vehicles involved in the investigation fell outside the statute of limitations and could not be prosecuted, the investigation marks one of the largest unlicensed vehicle dealing cases ever undertaken by Consumer Protection.
At least four of the unregistered, written-off vehicles were sold with significantly reduced odometer readings, including:
- A 2003 Toyota Rav4’s odometer was reduced by 203,012km;
- A 2004 Ford Falcon’s odometer was reduced by 172,358km;
- A 2006 Audi A6’s odometer was reduced by 103,298km; and
- A 2010 Nissan Dualis’s odometer was reduced by 99,691km.
During sentencing of Al-Defeari on 2 May 2025, Magistrate McLean stated that the significant fines reflected the considerable risks to buyers who, unaware of the vehicles’ write-off status and wound-back odometers, could face future problems.
Commissioner for Consumer Protection Tim Banfield hoped the large fines would be a powerful deterrent to stop this group and others from similar illegal conduct.
“The sheer scale of this car laundering ring revealed a vast and highly profitable business operation, making the huge fines a welcome and necessary penalty,” Mr Banfield said.
“There was clearly a deliberate attempt by Al-Defeari to avoid detection by using a different name for purchases and enlisting accomplices for registration and sales.”
Mr Banfield said the group’s activities had put the community at considerable risk.
“Unlicensed dealing of written-off vehicles, especially when coupled with odometer tampering, creates a dangerously compounded risk for car buyers – a true triple threat,” he said.
“Beyond the financial loss, odometer tampering creates unsafe vehicles by masking their true mechanical state and maintenance requirements.
“A key safeguard for used car buyers – mandatory disclosure of repairable write-off status – only applies to licensed dealers, leaving those buying privately or from unlicensed sources unprotected.”
Used car buyers are encouraged to carry out a search of the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR), which sometimes may include an odometer reading check, and ask to see the vehicle’s service history records.
Consumers can check whether a motor vehicle dealer is licensed by doing a search on the Consumer Protection website. Unlicensed dealers can be reported by emailing consumer@demirs.wa.gov.au or by calling 1300 30 40 54.
Media Contact: cpmedia@demirs.wa.gov.au