FORT SMITH -- A husband and wife pleaded innocent this week to fraud and money laundering charges involving classic and vintage cars, the U.S. attorney's office said Thursday in a news release.
Travis Allen Blount Jr., 56, and his wife Sandra J. Blount, 47, both of Kirbyville, Mo., each appeared separately in U.S. District Court before Magistrate Judge Mark E. Ford in Fort Smith.
The defendants are scheduled for trial April 6 before U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas Conner Eldridge said in the news release: "We ask for the public's help with identifying all of the victims in this case, to ensure that justice is pursued for all fraudulent conduct involved. Potential victims should contact Law Enforcement at the telephone number below with any relevant information."
Travis Blount, who is also known as Travis Allen and Allen Blount, previously has lived in Harrison and Hot Springs and in Louisiana before that.
The complaint says the Blounts operated two car lots, Corvettes and Classics in Harrison and Al's Hot Rods in Kirbyville, at which they made agreements to sell classic and vintage vehicles on consignment. However, the Blounts frequently sold cars without paying the owners and accepted payments from buyers without delivering the vehicle or title, the complaint says.
A federal grand jury charged Travis Blount with one count of conspiracy to defraud, three counts of mail fraud, four counts of wire fraud, two counts of interstate transportation of goods to conceal a scheme to defraud and four counts of money laundering.
Sandra J. Blount was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud, one count of aiding and abetting mail fraud, one count of aiding and abetting wire fraud, one count of aiding and abetting interstate transportation of goods to conceal a scheme to defraud, and one count of aiding and abetting money laundering.
Those with any information about the case were asked to contact IRS Special Agent Tim Arsenault at (479) 571-9763.
State Desk on 03/06/2015