NEW YORK (AP) Professional racecar driver Scott Tucker has pleaded not guilty in New York to charges in a payday lending scam.
The 53-year-old Tucker entered the plea in his first appearance in Manhattan federal court Tuesday.
He was arrested earlier this month in Kansas City, Kansas. He is free on $2 million bail.
Prosecutors say Tucker charged millions of people who used his lending operation exorbitant interest rates.
The government says Tucker and his companies charged 700 percent or more for loans obtained over the Internet between 1997 and August 2013. Prosecutors say the loans generated hundreds of millions of dollars in profits.
Also pleading not guilty was Timothy Muir, a lawyer charged along with Tucker.
Lawyers for both men declined comment.
