Ex-Minneapolis Auto Mogul Hecker Gets 10-year Sentence for Fraud

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal judge on Friday hit fallen auto mogul Denny Hecker with a maximum 10-year sentence on fraud charges, saying he deserved no less due to his pattern of lying and concealing assets in the implosion of his empire.

Judge Joan Ericksen brushed aside defense attorneys’ request for eight years, siding with prosecutors who cited Hecker’s conduct in criminal and civil litigation.

“It all adds up to, you don’t get a break,” Ericksen said.

Hecker pleaded in vain for leniency ahead of the ruling, crying as he spoke about his children and apologizing for his actions. He blamed his purchase of a rental car business that cost millions for setting in motion a chain of events that drove him to commit fraud as a way to fix his problems.

“I did it because my ego was so big,” Hecker said. “I thought I could conquer anything.”

Hecker, 58, was a ubiquitous presence in Minnesota before his business failed. His face appeared on Twin Cities buses and in advertisements as the pitchman for a web of auto dealerships. His holdings included assorted other enterprises before it began unraveling in 2008.

He pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy and bankruptcy fraud charges. Prosecutors said he cheated Chrysler Financial and other commercial lenders out of tens of millions of dollars so he could support a high-flying lifestyle.

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