The third odometer felon who got a pardon, Larry Lee Duncan of Branson, Mo., hired a Little Rock attorney to file his request. Art Borel said he and his brother had been rolling back odometers for years. The odometer is the gauge, usually next to the speedometer, that records how many miles a car has been driven. Crooked used-car dealers roll back odometers to make buyers think a car has less wear and tear on it than it really does, and is worth more than it really is. In 1972, Congress passed safeguards to protect consumers from odometer rollback, and it has since beefed up the standards and criminal penalties.
Many states have their own laws against rollbacks, or charge offenders with fraud.
Unfortunately for the Borels, the fine-looking woman was an FBI agent. The brothers were arrested. He said he kept the felony conviction a secret from his friends. State law in Arkansas prohibits felons from owning firearms. Although the applications were submitted to the Justice Department more than five years ago, it appears that the bids bypassed the usual procedures.