Scott Tucker | |
|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:ScottTuckerRaceCarDriver.jpg) Tucker in 2010 | |
| Born | May 5, 1962 (age 62) Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Criminal status | In prison |
| Conviction(s) | mail fraud, making false statements to a bank (1991); racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, Truth In Lending Act violation (2017) |
| Criminal penalty | 1 year (1991); 16 years, 8 months (2017) |
| Imprisoned at | Leavenworth 1991–1992, FCI Yazoo City 2018– |
| Scott Tucker | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years active | 2006–2014 | ||||||||||
| Car number | 055, 95 | ||||||||||
| Former teams | Kolles, Kelly Moss Motorsports, Hope Financial Racing, Level 5 Motorsports | ||||||||||
| Championships | 2010 ALMS LMPC 2011-2013 ALMS LMP2 | ||||||||||
| Wins | 101 | ||||||||||
| Previous series | |||||||||||
| United SportsCar Championship, IMSA Lites, GT3 Cup, SCCA, American Le Mans Series, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, KONI Challenge Series, | |||||||||||
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Scott Tucker (born May 5, 1962) is an American convicted racketeer, loan shark, fraudster, and money launderer who used his illegal funds to finance – and drive for – his own sports car endurance racing team.
In 1991, Tucker was convicted for his illegal activities, including mail fraud, associated with a bogus lending company he operated, Chase, Morgan, Stearns & Lloyd, which he falsely claimed was associated with each of the four major banks whose names he included in the name of the company. He served one year in prison.
In 2001, Tucker founded an online business, AMG Services, that made payday loans even in states where these high-interest, low-principal loans were restricted or illegal. The business, which generated over $3.5 billion in revenue from just 2008 to June 2013,[1] ultimately made loans to at least 4.5 million Americans.[1] When state regulators tried to shut down his operations, Tucker made deals with Native American tribes to claim ownership of his business and invoke sovereign immunity from state courts.[2] In February 2016, Tucker was arrested and indicted on federal criminal charges filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in relation to his ownership and controlling role in various payday lending operations that were found to have charged illegal interest rates in violation of RICO and TILA statutes.[3][4] Tucker was convicted of making illegal payday loans and of racketeering in October 2017; he is currently serving a sentence of 16 years and 8 months in federal prison.[1]
Tucker began his racing career in 2006, most notably competing in the American Le Mans Series and United SportsCar Championship for his Level 5 Motorsports.[5][6]
- ^ a b c "Scott Tucker Sentenced To More Than 16 Years In Prison For Running $3.5 Billion Unlawful Internet Payday Lending Enterprise". US Department of Justice. January 5, 2018.
- ^ Heath, David (September 26, 2011). "Payday lending bankrolls auto racer's fortune". Center for Public Integrity.
- ^ "Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Charges Against Owner Of, And Attorney For, $2 Billion Unlawful Internet Payday Lending Enterprise". United States Department of Justice. February 10, 2016.
- ^ "Pro racecar driver Scott Tucker charged with payday loans". ABC news. Archived from the original on February 13, 2016.
- ^ Baime, A.J. (July 29, 2010). "Racing's One-in-a-Million Story: After taking up the sport just four years ago, a 48-year-old American makes history at Le Mans". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ "ALMS: Scott Tucker's Bucket List". auto-racing.speedtv.com.