The Chattanooga tow operator accused Tuesday of 28 auto crime-related offenses previously served a nine-year federal prison sentence and owed over $4.28 million in restitution after pleading guilty to defrauding over 400 vehicle dealerships nationwide, court records show.
Benjamin Wade Elliott Duvall, also known as Ben Elliott and Ben Duvall, pleaded guilty to new charges, violated supervision conditions or was investigated for suspected criminal activity in at least seven of his 15 years under federal supervision, court records show. He was investigated for at least 18 documented incidents of noncompliance or suspected criminal activity from 2016 to 2022.
“Throughout the three (3) years of his supervised release, he has maintained a lifestyle of perpetual criminal activity that began before his release from the Bureau of Prisons custody,” his probation officer wrote in 2020.
Duvall, who turns 44 on Saturday, landed in federal prison in 2009 after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. According to records from the federal court in Atlanta, he and one of his employees siphoned about $2.8 million from car dealerships in 2006 and 2007.
Prosecutors said he attempted to withdraw more than $21 million through unauthorized debit transfers, according to a criminal indictment filed in Atlanta in 2008.