A man who sold cars in Malvern, Hot Springs and Harrison has been sentenced to more than 14 years in federal prison for defrauding car buyers and sellers who trusted him to consign classic automobiles.
Travis Allen Blount Jr., 57, of Kirbyville, Missouri, had pleaded guilty last May to five felony charges, and federal prosecutors dismissed 19 more counts. Four of the charges — mail fraud, wire fraud and two counts of money laundering — concerned Blount’s practices when he operated car lots in Malvern and Hot Springs and an auto consignment business, Corvettes & Classics, in Harrison. He also owned Al’s Hot Rods in Kirbyville.
He also pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm since he had previously been convicted of a felony.
Court documents describe incidents in which Blount sold classic cars for much less than the minimum required by the consignor and then kept all of the sales price. He also sold used cars and then never delivered the titles to the buyers.
The crimes occurred between 2012 and 2015.
In addition to the 175-month prison term, U.S. District Judge P.K. Holmes III ordered Blount to pay more than $900,000 in restitution to more than 80 victims.