The recent arrest of sports-car racer Scott Tucker is a reminder of the sport's dark side.
News of race-car driver and payday-lending maven
Scott Tucker's arrest last week was far from a surprise for those inside the sport. The Level 5 Motorsports team owner is the latest in an intriguing line of characters to parachute into the world of sports-car racing, burn obscene amounts of cash for a few years, and leave in handcuffs.
Drug harvesting, dealing, and transportation, bilking churches and charities out of millions, and Ponzi schemes are among the most popular actions that have seen sports-car team owners and drivers placed in shackles. Tucker's recent fall is only the latest chapter among sports-car racing's jailhouse gems.
Tucker, his late brother Blaine, and others within his inner circle had been the target of the Federal Trade Commission for years, and with Tucker's apprehension by the FBI last week, the 53-year-old's journey has followed an all too familiar path among endurance racers. Along with Tucker, one of his attorneys, Timothy Muir, was also arrested,
according to the United States Department of Justice, as part of a "criminal indictment charging (Tucker and Muir) with violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ('RICO') and the Truth in Lending Act ('TILA') for operating a nationwide internet payday lending enterprise that systematically evaded state laws in order to charge illegal interest rates as high as 700% on loans."
