CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Benjamin Wade Duvall, owner of Choo Choo Towing and Recovery, has been arrested for allegedly running a multi-state vehicle racketeering operation that defrauded car and motorcycle owners across Hamilton County.
Chattanooga Police and the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office say Duvall used his towing businesses to unlawfully seize, store, and resell vehicles through fake paperwork, Facebook Marketplace ads, and fraudulent consignment deals. Investigators returned to Duvall’s Dodson Avenue property following his arrest to recover additional vehicles tied to the alleged scheme.
Court records show Duvall has a history of theft and fraud-related charges. Police linked him to stolen trailers in Monteagle and Knoxville in 2019 and multiple Facebook Marketplace fraud complaints in Winchester by 2021.
Investigators say the first local red flag came in July when a woman reported her Hyundai Sonata missing. GPS tracking revealed it had been taken by a tow truck, and the finance company could not recover it from Duvall’s lot.
Other victims included a Kentucky couple who consigned a Harley-Davidson, only to find it later listed online with damage and extra mileage, and a Chattanooga woman who purchased a Ford Escape with falsified paperwork showing the sale came from an Alabama dealership. Police also tied Duvall to a 2018 Jeep Wrangler reported stolen in Alabama and observed him driving it over the summer.
Authorities say Duvall used social media as his primary platform to sell vehicles, often at suspiciously low prices, and engaged in a pattern of fraudulent sales, missing titles, and extortionate storage or repair fees.
Duvall now faces 28 charges, including:
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 evidence of title
2 counts of forgery
5 counts of theft of services and harassment
Racketeering enterprise
Operation of unlawful chop shop
Criminal conspiracy
Sgt. Randy Raulston of CPD’s Auto Crimes Unit stated, “Seven victims for sure, and we have 14 cars in question that we’re looking for. More victims may come forward as the investigation continues.”
Police urge anyone with information on additional victims or missing vehicles to contact Chattanooga authorities.
