CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WTVC) — A Chattanooga tow company owner is charged with running what detectives describe as a sprawling vehicle racketeering operation that touched several states and left victims across Hamilton County searching for missing cars and motorcycles.
Chattanooga Police say Benjamin Wade Duvall, the owner of Choo Choo Towing and Recovery on Dodson Avenue, used his towing businesses to unlawfully take, store and resell vehicles through a mix of fake paperwork, Facebook Marketplace listings and fraudulent consignment deals.
In one case, a Kentucky couple who tried to consign their Harley-Davidson told police they later found the motorcycle listed on Facebook Marketplace with damage, stickers and about 2,000 extra miles. The affidavit says the photos showed the bike still wearing its Kentucky tag and sitting on Duvall’s lot. Photos: Hamilton Co. Jail / Getty Images file.
Deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Duvall on Tuesday.
According to an affidavit, detectives say the first red flag came in July, when a woman on Laura Street reported her Hyundai Sonata missing.
Officers found marks in the pavement that looked like a tow truck had taken it. Investigators say the car had a GPS tracker because of a lien, and the finance company told police they tried to retrieve it from Choo Choo Towing, but were turned away.
From there, the report says the cases piled up.
In one case, a Kentucky couple who tried to consign their Harley-Davidson told police they later found the motorcycle listed on Facebook Marketplace with damage, stickers and about 2,000 extra miles. The affidavit says the photos showed the bike still wearing its Kentucky tag and sitting on Duvall’s lot.Another victim told investigators she bought a Ford Escape from Duvall on Sept. 2nd. Police say the paperwork falsely showed the sale came from an Alabama dealership, and she never got a title sent. Messages in the affidavit show her repeatedly asking Duvall about it.Detectives also connected Duvall to a white 2018 Jeep Wrangler listed as stolen in Alabama. The affidavit says a Chattanooga Police officer stopped Duvall while he was driving that same Jeep over the summer, and the vehicle later appeared for sale on Facebook under the name “Duvall Wade.”
Investigators say they were able to tie at least fourteen vehicles to an Alabama dealer with outstanding warrants that were photographed for sale on Duvall’s lot. The affidavit says Duvall does not have a dealer license in Tennessee or Alabama.
Police say the pattern shows Duvall and his businesses worked together to deprive multiple owners and lienholders of their vehicles.
The affidavit describes fraudulent sales, missing titles and letters demanding thousands of dollars in storage or repair fees.
Police say the pattern shows Duvall and his businesses worked together to deprive multiple owners and lienholders of their vehicles. The affidavit describes fraudulent sales, missing titles and letters demanding thousands of dollars in storage or repair fees. Duvall faces a total of 28 charges. Photos: Hamilton Co. Jail / Getty Images file.
Duvall faces a total of 28 charges:
6 counts of theft of property5 counts of fraudulent transfer of motor vehicle5 counts of criminal simulation2 counts of altering, falsifying or forging evidences of title2 counts of forgery5 counts of theft of services and harassmentRacketeering enterpriseOperation of unlawful chop shopCriminal conspiracyComment with Bubbles
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