A former Roanoke Rapids car dealership manager with an embattled legal history was indicted federally last month on 17 counts of wire fraud and 30 counts of money laundering.

The counts are associated with Jonathan Edward Davenport’s enure at an Elizabeth City Nissan dealership where he was a partner, according to federal court records.

Davenport is also scheduled to appear in Pasquotank County court on August 13 for charges he faces in that county for crimes related to a dealership he worked at.

Federal court records show Davenport and a silent partner who was not indicted formed a management company doing business as Alliance Nissan of Elizabeth City in 2001.

The silent partner was a majority shareholder who was not involved in the day-to-day operations of the dealership.

Davenport was the minority shareowner of Alliance and at all times worked as the dealer principal, running the day-to-day business operation, management and decision-making at the dealership.

Alliance maintained a contractual relationship with Nissan Motor Acceptance Corporation involving the purchase of new and used cars commonly called floor plan financing. The floor plan financing was for vehicles waiting to be sold or traded by the dealership.

As part of the relationship, Alliance was required to submit and update the inventory that formed the collateral for money loaned to Alliance by NMAC.

Reports of the inventory status of vehicles financed by NMAC were transferred by wire, fax or other interstate computer systems at the direction of Davenport to advise NMAC of the collateral for NMAC floor plan loans to Alliance.

Substantial false and misleading information relating to vehicles under the floor plan loans was created and forwarded to NMAC by and at the direction of Davenport.

For example, court records say, vehicles were listed that were not being offered for sale by the dealership.

The indictment charges that Davenport diverted funds from Alliance for various authorized and unauthorized personal purposes including the purchase of real estate, boats, credit payments, rental expenses and personal cosmetic surgery payments for acquaintances and employees.

The silent partner was forced to pay NMAC more than $1 million for vehicles falsely pledged by Davenport to maintain ownership of Alliance and the relationship with Nissan.

Davenport was removed from the business by the silent partner in December 2008.

From January 1, 2007, through December 31, 2008, the federal grand jury alleged Davenport knowingly devised a scheme and artifice to defraud NMAC by submitting and causing to be submitted inventory reports for vehicles not in the inventory of Alliance Nissan.

This was allegedly done to obtain financing by false and fraudulent information that allowed Davenport to obtain money and property.

The 17 counts reflect that Davenport transmitted in interstate and foreign commerce through wire communications lists of vehicles purported to be present at Alliance Nissan to support loans made to Alliance by NMAC.

The date and value of the transactions, which constitute the 17 counts are as follows:

July 30, 2007 — $70,000

July 30, 2007 — $44,500

August 3, 2007 — $58,550

August 3, 2007 — $30,875

August 21, 2007 — $86,500

August 22, 2007 — $88,500

October 26, 2007 — $51,100

October 26, 2007 — $74,800

October 26, 2007 — $33,775

February 8, 2008 — $73,275

April 16, 2008 — $87,925

May 20, 2008 — $112,350

May 21, 2008 — $99,125

October 7, 2008 — $45,375

October 7, 2008 — $65,600

October 9, 2008 — $108,850

October 27, 2008 — $66,800

From September 10, 2007, to November 15, 2008, Davenport did knowingly engage and attempt to engage in monetary transactions through financial institutions in interstate and foreign commerce to withdraw the funds by writing checks or transferring funds obtained through wire fraud, the indictment charges.

The warrant requested on July 17 and on July 30, David C. Sutton, a Greenville attorney gave notice to the court as counsel for Davenport.