A used car dealer has been fined $25,000 for tampering with odometers on vehicles he sold, a practice that the Queensland Office of Fair Trading describes as "reasonably common" in the industry. Alexander Thomas Hallett, 31, was convicted and banned from holding a dealer's license for five years after pleading guilty to 13 charges in Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

Hallett was the sole director of Hallett Projects, which operated second-hand car dealerships on the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast. The court heard that between May 2023 and September 2024, he rolled back the odometers on seven vehicles by a total of 648,000 kilometers. This misrepresentation inflated the vehicles' condition and value by $64,000.

In addition to the odometer tampering, Hallett was convicted of dishonestly converting funds for pocketing the entire $37,500 from the sale of another vehicle on consignment. Louise Benjamin, counsel for the Office of Fair Trading, stated that the agency is aware of the tactics used by unscrupulous operators and acknowledged that odometer tampering is widespread. "He thinks he is above the law and … takes advantage of consumers," she said. "During the sale of these motor vehicles, the defendant has misrepresented the values, the year and condition and has tampered with the odometers in order to gain a financial advantage. Odometer fraud is a serious problem which impacts the community, results in financial loss and safety issues."

Hallett's attorney, Jeff Horsey, argued that his client has no prior criminal history, is currently employed by a property developer, and is studying for a diploma in finance and mortgage broking. "My client had an investor or silent partner in this business who was putting him under financial strain," Mr. Horsey said. "He was put in a position where he had to make money fast, and he made stupid decisions and took shortcuts. He has got productive things to occupy his time, and he is taking responsibility and working hard to rectify his mistakes."

Mr. Horsey requested that no conviction be recorded, citing concerns that it would negatively impact Hallett's employment prospects. However, Magistrate Veena Goverdhan referred the fine to the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) and recorded convictions, noting that Hallett had made no effort to compensate the affected customers.