![Ex-Auto Dealer Denny Hecker Released from Re-Entry Center](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2018/04/Prison.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Ex-Auto Dealer Denny Hecker Released from Re-Entry Center
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Disgraced former Minnesota auto dealer Denny Hecker has been released from a Minneapolis re-entry center after more than seven years in federal custody.
The 66-year-old Hecker was released Tuesday. He was sentenced in 2011 after pleading guilty to bankruptcy and wire fraud.
At one point, Hecker owned 26 car dealerships and a car rental agency, but his financial success took a turn during the Great Recession as the economy struggled and car sales decreased.
Hecker filed for bankruptcy in June 2009, when he owed $767 million. Prosecutors say he took tens of millions from auto lenders, including Chrysler Financial, to live an opulent lifestyle.
More From AM 1240 WJON
![Step Right Up: Everything You Need To Know About The 2024 Sherburne County Fair](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-SherburneCountyFair-PHOTO-TiffanyLeigh.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Search Warrants Turn Up Haul of Stolen Property](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/01/Crime-Tape.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![St. Ben’s, St. John’s Official Higher Ed Partners with MN United](http://townsquare.media/site/70/files/2019/11/soccer_ball_getty_Michael-Regan_Getty24.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Gas Prices Fall in Minnesota, Rise Nationally](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2023/04/attachment-GettyImages-97962772.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![St. Cloud’s Coborn’s, CentraCare Make List of Biggest Minnesota Employers](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-Jobs3-Thinkstock-GettyImages.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Central MN Meat Market Introduces 24/7 Meat Vending Machine](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-Jen-and-Travis.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Becker Woman Hurt in Crash Near Spicer](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2023/06/State-Patrol-Stock-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Get Ready For Change: Minnesota Introduces Area Code 924 Overlay](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-NewAreaCode.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![MSP Ranked Top U.S. Airport in 2024](http://townsquare.media/site/67/files/2024/07/attachment-MAC_MSP-Airport_Terminal-1_Delta_6x4_200.jpg?w=980&q=75)