It appears Denny Hecker has been on his best behavior.

Officials confirmed Friday that U.S. Marshals have transported the fallen auto mogul to his ninth federal prison in 14 months, this time to a minimum-security prison camp in Littleton, Colo.

The newest prison, called Englewood, will give Hecker a bit more freedom than he had in Loretto, Pa., which is the low security prison where Hecker had been housed since June.

The move to a lower-security facility means that the notoriously brash Hecker has finally been behaving himself.

"You would not see an inmate who is misbehaving or not adjusting well transferred to a lower security facility," said Bureau of Prisons spokesman Chris Burke during a phone interview Friday. Prison camps differ from low security facilities because they tend to have fewer staff, fewer prisoner checks, dormitory style housing and no razor fences, Burke said.

Hecker, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for defrauding auto lenders and bankruptcy court, was originally sentenced in 2010 and moved from a county jail to a minimum security prison in Duluth.

But he was abruptly moved from Duluth to the higher security Loretto in February 2012. Brian Toder, Hecker's former attorney said at the time that he believed it was because Hecker had violated cellphone rules and might have been deemed a flight risk.

Between Duluth and Loretto, Hecker was temporarily housed in prisons in Wisconsin, Indiana, Oklahoma and Canaan, Pa. before landing in Loretto in June 2012.

It was believed that Loretto would be Hecker's final prison. But on March 8, Hecker was back on the road.

Marshals took him from Loretto to Canaan, Pa. On Monday they took him to a federal transfer center in Oklahoma City. By Friday he was in Colorado. It is not known if Englewood is Hecker's last stop, but it appears he could be there awhile, said sources close to the situation.

Hecker's defense attorney Bill Mauzy said Friday that he had been in touch with Hecker, but declined to comment further.

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons declined to say exactly why Hecker was transferred.

Burke said inmates are relocated for any number of reasons including court requests, medical or behavioral problems, inmate protection, changes in an inmate's security level or to get an inmate closer to family or into a drug or alcohol rehabilitation program.

At the time of his sentencing in February 2011, Hecker admitted in court to having problems abusing alcohol and asked to be allowed into some type of inmate rehab program.

Prison officials estimate that Hecker will be released from prison in July 2019.

Dee DePass • 612-673-7725