Hundreds of Snowmobiles and Motorcycles Head to Auction After Federal Fraud Case

Who wants some ill-gotten snowmobiles and motorcycles straight from the Feds?

Photo by: FBI

By: Jonathon Klein

Jul 15, at 8:11am ET

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A few weeks back, Stanley Pophal of Wisconsin pled guilty to federal fraud charges after his Ponzi Scheme was discovered. The would-be broker took in millions of dollars from average investors and, instead of investing said dollars, bought snowmobiles, motorcycles, vintage cars, and more to fund his want for a lavish lifestyle.

That all came crashing down as the Feds raided Pophal's home, seized his assets, charged him with money laundering and wire fraud, and threw the book at him. And instead of risking a trial judgment, Pophal pled guilty and forfeited his assets to help partially pay back his defrauded victims.

Now we know more about how that'll occur, as the government just announced that it would auction off those assets, including Pophal's massive 300-unit snowmobile collection, his motorcycles and more. So if you're on the hunt for a cheap-ish new vehicle, and you want to help some people get their lives back, now's your chance.

According to ABC9 WAOW, a local ABC affiliate out of Wisconsin, the federal government seized over 600 items from Pophal and will auction these items off to help pay restitution to those he defrauded.

The outlet spoke with U.S. Attorney Chadwick Elgersma, who said, "Restitution is a critical part of our justice system. Our responsibility is not only to hold criminals accountable, but to also do everything within the law to help victims recover what was stolen from them."

He added, "The forfeiture and sale of assets in this case are part of our efforts to make Pophal's victims whole. The U.S. Department of Justice is committed to using every available tool to support victims, protect the public and reaffirm that fraud has real consequences."

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The auction itself will be held by Apple Auctioneering, and is said to begin July 28th. However, after scrolling through the upcoming and past lots, RideApart noticed at least one lot has already been sold off: a 1990 Nissan NPT-90 GTP race car chassis. The rolling chassis—sans engine and drivetrain—can be clearly seen in some of the federal indictment photos of Pophal's massive garage and in between the hundreds of motorcycles and snowmobiles. Why that was auctioned off ahead of time is not stated, but it looks like it went for a song for just $23,000.

How much the other lots will go for is anyone's guess, with the bulk of the sale occurring on the 28th of this month. Hopefully, the government can return some of the victims' money.