Missouri Man Sentenced to More Than 14 Years in Prison for Fraud, Money Laundering, and Firearms Charges

            Fort Smith, AR - Kenneth Elser, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Travis Allen Blount, Jr., age 57, of Kirbyville, Missouri formerly of Harrison, Arkansas, was sentenced to 175 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release on five counts to include: Mail Fraud; Wire Fraud; two counts of Money Laundering; and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.  Blount was also ordered to pay victim restitution totaling more than $900,000 to more than 80 victims.  The Honorable P.K. Holmes, III presided over the sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith on January 5, 2016.

            According to court records, from approximately 2012 until January 2015, Blount operated car lots in Malvern and Hot Springs, Arkansas, Corvettes and Classics in Harrison, Arkansas and Al’s Hot Rod’s in Kirbyville, Missouri.  Blount solicited owners of classic and vintage vehicles to place their valuable vehicles with him on consignment, promising to pay the owners after the sale of their cars. Blount defrauded the owners by selling their cars and keeping the money for himself. Blount also defrauded car buyers by accepting payment for the cars he sold and not delivering the vehicles or the car titles to the buyers.  Blount was previously convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment exceeding one year, and therefore, was prohibited by federal law from possessing a firearm.

            This case was investigated by the Financial Crimes Task Force in the Western District of Arkansas, the Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigation Division, Homeland Security Investigations, the Fayetteville Police Department, the Harrison Police Department, and the Taney County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyra Jenner prosecuted the case for the United States.

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Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website @ www.pacer.gov