Tenn. Tow Owner Charged In Multi-State Vehicle Theft/Fraud Case
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.
Deputies with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office arrested Duvall on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, police returned to the Dodson Avenue address following Duvall’s arrest, as investigators continue to gather evidence and recover more vehicles tied to the alleged scheme.
Court documents show this is not Duvall’s first time in custody on theft or fraud-related charges.
Affidavits from Winchester, Tenn., police reveal that in 2019 officers recovered a 2001 Hi Way Star trailer reported stolen from Monteagle, and a 2016 Hyjacker dump trailer stolen from Knoxville — both linked to Duvall.
By 2021, at least three more buyers in Winchester reported fraud or theft after purchasing from him, all through Facebook Marketplace ads, echoing complaints made by victims here in Chattanooga.
According to an affidavit, detectives in Chattanooga say their 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. Photos: Hamilton Co. Jail / Getty Images file.
Police returned to the Dodson Avenue address following Duvall’s arrest, as investigators continue to gather evidence and recover more vehicles tied to the alleged scheme. Photo: WTVC
- 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.”
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.
“If you think this is too good to be true, it is.”Sgt. Randy Raulston with CPD’s Auto Crimes Unit says they served a search warrant this morning for Choo Choo Towing & Recovery
“He was putting some new cars out there at dirt cheap prices. There’s no way he can sell these cars at that price.”The search comes one day after his arrest.
“Seven victims for sure, we do have 14 cars in question that we’re looking for as well. We’re probably gonna have victims with those.”Police say Duvall used social media to find potential buyers.
“he just put a lot of the vehicles on Facebook Marketplace and sold them online, just got out so much, and that’s what he used it for, it is his primary place to sell the vehicles.”Duvall faces a total of 28 charges:
- 6 counts of theft of property
- 5 counts of fraudulent transfer of motor vehicle
- 5 counts of criminal simulation
- 2 counts of altering, falsifying or forging evidences of title
- 2 counts of forgery
- 5 counts of theft of services and harassment
- Racketeering enterprise
- Operation of unlawful chop shop
- Criminal conspiracy
