This is a press release courtesy of the Oregon State Police

A Gresham-area man was arrested last week by Oregon State Police related to an ongoing investigation into the selling of an automobile with a false odometer reading. 

Investigators are looking into the possibility that the suspect may have previously used online resources such as "Craigslist" to sell other automobiles that may have also had altered or replaced odometers.

On November 15, 2007, Oregon State Police Troopers from the Portland Area Command arrested Ricky Ephrem, age 26, from Gresham, on charges related to theft, forgery, identity theft and submitting false disclosures. 

The charges stemmed from an investigation into the selling of an automobile with a false odometer reading.  A search warrant was served at his Gresham-area home last Friday as part of the ongoing investigation.

Ephrem allegedly sold a vehicle to a buyer from Washington using the Internet site "Craigslist". The buyer subsequently learned the vehicle he purchased had a false odometer reading and had nearly 100,000 more miles on it than the odometer showed.

The victim contacted the Oregon State Police (OSP), initiating the investigation.

Ephrem was contacted by an OSP trooper posing as a buyer for another vehicle that Ephrem was trying to sell on "Craigslist".

Ephrem eventually met with the trooper and was taken into custody without incident. Further investigation showed the vehicle that
Ephrem had been trying to sell to the trooper also had a false odometer reading.

In addition to selling vehicles on "Craigslist", information indicates Ephrem has also used classified ads in The Oregonian newspaper to advertise vehicles for sale.  Ephrem has been known to use the following aliases:

* Michael Shaun Stevens
* Ronald Johnson
* John Ricky Steve

Ephrem was lodged at the Multnomah County Justice Center on the following charges:

* Submitting a False Odometer Disclosure (Class C felony)
* Forging a Vehicle Title (Class C felony)
* Theft in the First Degree by Deception (Class C felony)
* Forgery in the First Degree (Class C felony)
* Identity Theft (Class C felony)
* Unlawful Possession of a Fictitious Identification (Class C felony)

Oregon State Police are being assisted in the ongoing investigation by Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles.