Does anyone remember the Build-A-Bandit scammer?
 

Hey PY'ers,

Does anyone remember the whole Build-A-Bandit debacle?

This was that guy Robert Allen McElreath back in the late 2000's was taking money to make Bandit SE copies in Ashville, North Carolina and then not delivering on any of the cars or contracts he had signed. He had a lot of victims and then landed a whole bunch of charges, and was subsequently arrested.

The reason why I bring this up, is apparently a few of the cars he had butchered were a number of Macho T/A's. What actually came of the cars? Does anyone know anyone who was involved or was a victim of his? Some of those Machos could still be alive today as an SE copy somewhere without the owners knowing. Even if those Machos were destroyed, I'd like to at least cross those off the list of missing Machos for the Macho Registry.

I'd like to get in contact with anyone who was a victim or knew any further details about the whole scam, so if anyone has more information, i'd love to hear some stories!

Here's some links to the story if you were curious or didn't even know this happened!

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/...scam/30615263/

https://www.wyff4.com/article/man-se...m-scam/7016249

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news...son-sentence-/

https://www.citizen-times.com/story/...vada/16926735/

No telling, you got guys like Kraft turning Y88’s into bandits.

I remember him. I met him at Charlotte Autofair, might have even sold him a few parts. He wanted to see what I owned, even though I told him I wasn't planning to sell anything right away.

I believe there is at least one very sad story on this forum where he scammed an elderly lady out of a bunch of money for a car that was never delivered.

I dug that thread up, but that account has long since been abandoned, and I wouldn't want to follow her up for details on such a sad story. All the forum posts from TAC are gone too.

Don't suppose you still had details or anything for him Mike? Did he ever actually sell T/A's to anyone?

Here is a link that goes into a little more detail.

https://support.gunbroker.com/hc/en-...he-Bandit-Scam

I don't remember much about McElreath. I had some Pontiac parts at Charlotte Autofair and I talked to him for a when he visited my swap meet spot. He seemed way too pushy wanting to know about my cars when I had already told him none were for sale. Not long after I met him, there was a post on the forum from someone who got scammed by him.

If I meet somebody who for some reason I don't trust, I don't even keep their contact information and put there name on a list of suspect characters.

What about the guy that had the Trans Am Museum in Virginia that got sentenced to prison for scamming people out of their money and buying all those low mileage Bandit cars at Barret Jackson? Anybody here ever have any dealings with him.? Guys name is Rick McLaughlin.

I remember him, we actually spoke on the phone about one of his cars for sale. The conversation was very sketchy as I recall.

This the guy?
 

From the BOP Inmate Search website:
Name: RICKY V MCLAUGHLIN
Register Number: 63313-061
Age: 67
Race: White
Sex: Male
Release Date: 07/23/2026
Located At: FCI Gilmer

Info about his current home:
https://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/gil/

Still has about thirteen months to go.....