Classic car scammer gets 27 months in prison

Southern District of Iowa federal courthouse. Image courtesy Google Maps.

An Iowa man who defrauded at least two collector car buyers of more than $45,000 has been sentenced to more than two years in prison and ordered to pay back his victims.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa, Rodney Lee Crosby Jr., 35, of Pisgah, Iowa, advertised collector cars through his business, Hot Rod Classics, and accepted deposits for the cars but failed to deliver the cars. Following complaints from Crosby’s customers, the Howard County Sheriffs Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation filed charges in the case, ultimately resulting in Crosby’s guilty plea to a single count of wire fraud in January.

Senior United States District Court Judge James E. Gritzner sentenced Crosby last week to 27 months in prison, three years of supervised release following his imprisonment, and $45,084 in restitution to his victims.

Crosby has previously spent time in jail for an insurance fraud conviction in Nebraska and for firearms and explosives possession charges in Iowa. He had also attempted to start a specialty car transport business, Hot Rod Haulin’, in Nebraska, but had his license revoked after failing a safety audit.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said that wire fraud victims should report their cases to the FBI and to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.