Cloverdale Auto Exchange owner pleads guilty to counterfeiting

Following an extensive investigation by the Indiana Secretary of State, Cloverdale Police Department and the Putnam County Prosecutor’s Office, a Putnam County car dealership owner has been arrested and convicted of counterfeiting.

Christopher Rairdon of Cloverdale Auto Exchange had previously been charged with counterfeiting, check deception, forgery, theft and corrupt business influence.

The secretary of state opened an investigation into the dealership in the fall of 2018 following complaints collected by the Cloverdale Police Department.

An audit found numerous violations, including missing records and non-deliveries of title.

When confronted, Rairdon admitted to altering interim license plates and creating fraudulent bills of sale, authorities said.

Rairdon had also sold vehicles on behalf of an auto auction, intentionally writing bad checks to the auction in order to keep the sale funds for himself.

Rairdon also scammed multiple consumers, including one woman in a difficult financial situation, authorities said. The woman purchased a vehicle from Cloverdale Auto Exchange in 2017 but then went through a divorce. Because the payments were difficult to make, she decided to sell the vehicle. Rairdon told her that he would sell the vehicle on the lot and issue her a check. The vehicle sold in 2018 for $8,000, but when the woman contacted the dealership to inquire after her vehicle, Rairdon reportedly claimed it had not been sold.

The Secretary of State’s Office was first alerted to the situation through consumer complaints. The consumers who have notified the office of issues with Cloverdale Auto Exchange claimed they were sold cars with fake license plates.

Rairdon will now serve home detention and must pay restitution to victims of his crimes.

“I want to thank Putnam County Prosecutor Tim Bookwalter for his attention to this matter,” Secretary of State Connie Lawson said. “The prosecutor’s office has been more than helpful throughout this investigation, enabling my staff to work efficiently and effectively for Putnam County citizens. I also want to thank the consumers who reported their suspicions of fraud. While our office routinely conducts audits of auto dealerships, we rely heavily on the public to help us identify bad actors and encourage any consumer with an issue to contact us.”

Consumers who believe they have been victimized by an auto dealership are encouraged to contact the Secretary of State’s Office at 317-233-4905.