Scott Tucker's exotic car is up for auction in Austin.

You know what sucks? Being in prison. There's even worse. To see a formerly unlimitedly wealthy person, now in prison, watch their cherished car collection being auctioned off. For former race driver and convicted extortionist Scott Tucker, this is perhaps a punitive act worse than death.

On February 5, 2020, at the CWS Asset Management & Sales auction at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department, the 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta, 2011 Ferrari 599xx, 2011 Tucker's last exotic sports car collection, including a 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta, a 2011 Ferrari 599xx, a 2011 Porsche 911 GT2 RS, and a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, will be auctioned on behalf of the U.S. Treasury Department.

A preview is scheduled for February 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Ferrari of Austin. The entire Level 5 Motorsports business, including Tucker's 11 racing cars, was liquidated by Auction America in 2017.

Tucker, who won the 2014 24 Hours of Daytona and was on the podium at the 2011 24 Hours of Le Mans, was convicted in 2017 of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and Truth in Lending Act violations related to his payday loan business and sentenced to 16 years and 8 months in federal prison He was ordered to serve 16 years and eight months in federal prison. Attorney Timothy Muir was also convicted of the scheme and sentenced to seven years in prison.

Tucker is not the first racer to be jailed for allegedly dirty money to finance his racing activities. Remember the Whittington brothers? John Paul Sr. and his son John Paul Jr. The tremendous technological advances of the machines in the IMSA series in the 1980s were often attributed to a steady flow of drag money.

In addition, the Federal Trade Commission sued Tucker and his company and others for "deceptive and unfair payday lending and debt collection practices targeting cash-strapped consumers." The lawsuit resulted in a record $1.3 billion judgment. All of Tucker's assets have been sold in several installments in an attempt to raise funds to cover the judgment; as of July 2019, a court-appointed monitor reported that $12.3 million had been recovered from the sale.

According to FBI Assistant Director Diego Rodriguez in 2016, "As alleged, Tucker and Muir defrauded over 4.5 million working people into taking out payday loans with interest rates ranging from 400-700%. Their business model not only violated the Truth in Lending Act, which was enacted to protect consumers from such loans, but also sought to evade prosecution by forming fraudulent alliances with Native American tribes in order to obtain sovereign immunity. This scheme, like many others that deceive innocent victims, only ends in arrest by the FBI.

The opportunity turns to bidders who can obtain rare exotic cars of dubious provenance. Bidders can sign up for online and in-person bidding for the 2011 Ferrari SA Aperta and 599xx, which could fetch $2 million each. The Porsches could fetch $800,000 or more each.

Tucker maintains his innocence and accuses the government of overreach, but Muir has filed an appeal but remains incarcerated for the possible start of this second trial. According to Tucker, "I provided legal services where there was a demand. "When asked in the Netflix documentary "Dirty Money" if he considered himself a moral person, Tucker replied, "I am a moral person. Tucker replied.

At least Scott Tucker has a memory...

This article, written by Tom Stahler, originally appeared on ClassicCars.com, an editorial partner of Motor Authority.