The convicted ex-wife of former auto mogul Denny Hecker is being summoned to federal court in Minneapolis for failing to repay the full fraud judgment leveled against her in 2011.
U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger and Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Secord petitioned the U.S. District Court Wednesday for an order to examine Christi Rowan's finances, saying she has not paid $8,123 of the $36,000 debt judgment she was ordered to repay nearly 13 years ago.
They want her to provide the court with three years of tax returns, a current pay stub, copies of any car titles and all documents relating to real estate, jewelry, leases and any property worth $100 or more.
Rowan, who was Hecker's fifth wife, could not be reached for comment. Rowan's former attorney has retired.
"The United States of America has been unsuccessful in its attempts to have the debtor voluntarily provide financial information in aid of collection of the judgment," the court filing said.
The court also is asking Rowan, now 50 and living in Minneapolis, to complete and sign a 19-page questionnaire that asks detailed questions about her income, finances, debt and marital status.
The once-defiant Rowan served one year in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of bank fraud and bankruptcy fraud for lying on a car loan application and helping Hecker hide assets from the bankruptcy court. She was released in March 2012.
Hecker, a self-made, blustery and self-promotional auto dealer, was sentenced in 2011. He served 7½ years in federal prison for bankruptcy fraud and defrauding auto lenders of more than $30 million.
Hecker and Rowan repeatedly made headlines for living a lavish lifestyle while hiding assets from the court and maintaining they were poor and in need of the government to pay their legal bills.
Hecker was taken into custody during a court hearing in late 2010 after it was discovered that Hecker and Rowan, then boyfriend and girlfriend, secretly hid thousands of dollars on prepaid American Express gift cards. When the FBI seized the cards, the couple reported them stolen and had the cards reissued.
The couple's subsequent wedding also raised eyebrows. The ceremony was performed by phone while Rowan was in a Maple Grove church with a pastor and Hecker sat in the Sherburne County jail.
The couple divorced in 2015.
Hecker, whose likeness was once a mainstay on Minnesota highway billboards, bus advertisements and TV commercials, has since retreated to a quieter life. Few former friends and associates in the auto industry report hearing from him or from Rowan.
