Luxury for Sale: Cars Hit the Auction Block in Elkridge After Owner Goes to Jail

In the market for a luxury car? You’re in luck.

Seventeen vehicles, seized by the U.S. Department of Treasury after an Ellicott City man was convicted in a $17 million Ponzi scheme, are hitting the auction block this week.

For 10 years, Byron Keith Brown, 34, of Ellicott City and Vienna, VA, u, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Brown claimed he had 10 years of experience in financial services and securities industries with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Wilmington, DE, and London.

But Brown had filed bankruptcy in 1999 and used a rented mailbox and virtual office to conduct business. He was not a registered broker, dealer or investment advisor in Maryland, Virginia or Washington, D.C.

Brown was ordered to pay $9.8 million in restitution and sentenced to 15 years in prison for wire fraud and money laundering.

"Byron Brown used the Internet to make it appear as if he were running an investment management business for wealthy investors," U.S. Attorney Rod. J. Rosenstein said in a statement, "when in fact he was stealing millions of dollars from investors and using it to buy a fleet of luxury cars."

Now those cars are for sale:

2007 Lamborghini Murcielago                                                    
2005 Rolls Royce Phantom
2004 Mercedes Benz Maybach 57                                                    
2006 Aston Martin
2008 Maserati Gran Turismo                                                     
2002 Ferrari 360
2004 Bentley Continental                                                                       
2007 Jaguar XKR CPE
1936 Auburn Speedster                                                                       
2006 Land Rover
2006 Mercedes Benz S500                                                                       
2005 Land Rover Range Rover
2007 BMW 3 Series                                                                      
2004 Audi AA8
2005 BMW 7 Series                                                                       
2005 Volkswagen Beetle
2005 GMC Canyon

Proceeds from the auction will be given to the U.S. Treasury for its Asset Forfeiture Fund. The net proceeds will be available as restitution to Brown’s victims.

The auction will be held on Tuesday, March 1, at 1 p.m. at 7120 Dorsey Run Road in Elkridge, which is run by VSE Corporation in conjunction with Manheim Corporation. The public can get a sneak peak of the cars Monday, Feb. 28, from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

For more information, call the auction line at 1-888-534-2828.