Timeline: The Denny Hecker saga
A brief summary of the Denny Hecker saga.
November 13, 2008: Hecker sues Chrysler Financial Services, his longtime lender, alleging that the company has wrongly suspended his lines of credit and hurt his business.
November 22, 2008: Hecker announces plans to sell three dealerships and close six more.
January 2009: Chrysler Financial sues Hecker for $550 million in alleged unpaid debt.
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April 10, 2009: Hecker is charged with reckless driving and driving under the influence of a controlled substance, in connection with a December car accident.
April 28, 2009: A judge rules that Hecker owes Chrysler Financial nearly $477 million.
June 4, 2009: Hecker files for personal bankruptcy, saying that he owes more than $766 million to dozens of creditors.
June 17, 2009: Law enforcement authorities raid Hecker's St. Louis Park headquarters, his home and several dealerships, investigating allegations that he failed to pay state taxes, pay license fees or issue car titles to customers who bought new vehicles.
June 18, 2009: Hecker files suit against GMAC, the finance giant that once offered auto loans to Hecker and his customers. The lawsuit alleges that GMAC is responsible for hundreds of customer complaints about unpaid taxes and fees.
June 23, 2009: A U.S. bankruptcy trustee accuses Hecker of a running a $110 million fraud scheme.
July 8, 2010: Chrysler Financial files a lawsuit in U.S. Bankruptcy Court claiming that $83 million of Hecker's debt should not be discharged, due to fraud, forgery and embezzlement.
July 24, 2009: Hecker pleads guilty to careless driving in connection with a December car accident.
September 15, 2009: Hecker discloses that he is the target of a grand jury investigation, in documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
September 23, 2009: The Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal reports that Walser Automotive Group has agreed to buy Hecker's last remaining car dealership.
December 18, 2009: Denny Hecker and his wife Tamitha Hecker are granted a divorce.
Jan. 14, 2010: A bankruptcy trustee files a lawsuit alleging that Hecker lied about his finances. The lawsuit claims that Hecker has concealed assets, including a luxury condo and expensive club memberships.
Feb. 10, 2010: A federal grand jury issues an indictment against Hecker, charging him with fraud and money laundering.
March 3, 2010: Hecker's former father-in-law attempts suicide by shooting himself in the head, and dies the next day. Bill Prohofsky was accused in a lawsuit of helping the auto mogul hide about $81,000 during his bankruptcy.
March 5, 2010: A judge allows Bill Mauzy, one of Hecker's attorneys, to be removed from his criminal case. Hecker told the Star Tribune that he can't afford an attorney, and plans to request a public defender.
March 9, 2010: Hecker faces eight additional counts of wire fraud and new bankruptcy fraud charges in the alleged multi-million dollar scheme to defraud lenders, according to a new federal grand jury indictment.
Attorney Marsh Halberg files a motion to withdraw as Hecker's legal counsel due to nonpayment, several days after Hecker's other attorney was granted a similar request.
March 11, 2010: Hecker's former father-in-law intended to help the investigation into Hecker's dealings, unsealed court documents indicate.
March 12, 2010: Hecker will remain responsible for $767 million in debt, despite having filed for bankruptcy last year.
March 19, 2010: Hecker is accused of wrongly cashing in his children's trust fund. Trustee Randall Seaver alleges the money -- some $75,000 -- was slated to buy real estate that was to be sold as part of Hecker's bankruptcy.
March 25, 2010: Hecker pleads not guilty to 18 new fraud charges. The charges allege he tried to defraud lenders and hide assets in bankruptcy.
March 30, 2010: Hecker is handcuffed and taken into custody for failing to pay alimony to two former wives. In a filing with the court, Hecker said his decision not to pay alimony was based on a distorted interpretation of the law.
April 2, 2010: Hecker is freed from jail on the condition that he disclose his finances. Hecker is also required to keep up with his alimony payments.
April 12, 2010: Judge appoints a public defender for Hecker. Hecker said in the courtroom that he has no money to pay a lawyer to defend him against federal criminal charges.
May 10, 2010: A Hecker associate is to provide financial documents and submit to a deposition regarding his financial dealings with Hecker.
July 14, 2010: Federal prosecutors add two more fraud charges against Hecker. A money laundering charge was dropped.
September 2, 2010: Hecker is accused of bail violations, and federal prosecutors ask a judge to send him to jail while awaiting trial.
September 7, 2010: Hecker pleads guilty to bankruptcy fraud and one count of conspiracy.
October 19, 2010: A federal judge orders Hecker to stay in jail until sentencing. U.S. District Judge Michael Davis said the fallen auto mogul needed a "wake-up call."
January 4, 2011: A federal judge rules that Hecker will remain in jail until his sentencing on fraud charges. Hecker had asked to be released, but prosecutors said he posed an "economic danger" to the community.
February 11, 2011: Hecker is sentenced to 10 years in prison, the maximum allowed under his plea agreement.
