OFF THE WIRE
BEWARE OF THIS PRICK, LYING FUCKING POSER,CON ARTIST PIECE OF SHIT!!!
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – John F. Wood, United States Attorney for the
Western District of Missouri, announced that a Huntington, W. Va., man
was sentenced in federal court today for defrauding businesses - including a
Richland, Mo., business - who paid nearly $250,000 to be NASCAR
sponsors.
Michael L. Leffingwell, 36, of Huntington, was sentenced by U.S. District
Judge Richard E. Dorr this morning to three years in federal prison without
parole. The court also ordered Leffingwell to pay $249,900 in restitution.
"This occasional NASCAR driver falsely portrayed himself as a successful
professional, and took advantage of the sport’s popularity to defraud
numerous businesses," Wood said. "Today he is being held accountable for
his deceit."
On Nov. 27, 2006, Leffingwell pleaded guilty to wire fraud and to failure to
appear in court.
Leffingwell is a construction worker who received NASCAR event
credentials to race in NASCAR events only four times from September 2001
to July 2005. Using his occasional and minor affiliation with NASCAR,
Leffingwell represented to various companies that he would advertise their
products on his race vehicle, sell merchandise featuring the company that
advertised, and display the company's products at NASCAR events.
Leffingwell would receive an advance payment with the assurance that over
the course of the race season and at specified times, the companies would
get all the initial outlay and more back in return. Leffingwell never raced an
entire season, and only in one year participated in more than one race in a
season. Leffingwell received the monies but never carried out his promises.
Leffingwell admitted to defrauding more than 10 victims by similar
schemes. Only one victim - Playcraft Boats - is in the Western District of
Missouri and is the subject of the federal indictment. Playcraft Boats lost
$40,000 in the fraud scheme, while the total loss by all the victims is more
than $249,900.
Leffingwell, representing himself to be a NASCAR race driver, contacted
Joe Dorris, president of Playcraft Boats, on April 2, 2002. Leffingwell told
Dorris that he had a trucking company, a complete race team, several race
trucks, a pit crew, show trucks, a merchandise trailer, and a large tractor
trailer that hauled his equipment to each race. Leffingwell told Dorris that
for $40,000 he would advertise Playcraft Boats at the races by putting their
logo on the race trucks and transporting vehicles. Additionally, he stated that
he would sell merchandise at the races with the Playcraft Boats logo.
Leffingwell promised to send Dorris a check in the amount of $2,000 after
each race, for 23 remaining races that season, for a total of $46,000. These
representations by Leffingwell were false and misleading.
Dorris contacted Leffingwell numerous times to ask that he refund his
money. Leffingwell never advertised with the Playcraft Boats logo, nor
would he have had the means to do so as he had represented.
Leffingwell's case was set for a plea of guilty on Aug. 25, 2006, but
Leffingwell failed to appear and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Leffingwell spoke to his supervising pretrial services officer several times
and promised that he would turn himself in. He did not do so, but was
arrested in West Virginia on Sept.12, 2006.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard E. Monroe. It
was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
http://joplin.com/news/2007/apr/13/west-virginia-man-sentenced-250000-
nascar-related-/
