Former NASCAR Busch owner arrested for fraud

A former stripper-turned-NASCAR-owner who has been sought by U.S. authorities for three years was arrested in New York on Sunday after agreeing to surrender. Fatemeh Angela Harkness was taken into custody as soon as her flight from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, touched down at JFK International Airport in New York, said Timothy Hughes, a spokesman for the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force.

Authorities accused Harkness and Gary Jones, a former Wells Fargo business banker, of using about $1 million obtained through fraudulent bank loans to start a NASCAR team called Angela’s Motorsports, which they ran out of Harkness’ Round Rock home. The racing team entered cars in the Busch Grand National Series starting in 2002. It disappeared in 2003 after the team’s checks started bouncing.

Jones prepared about 12 loans using several people’s names and kept the money for himself, according to court documents. He was sentenced to just less than four years in prison in August 2004 after he pleaded guilty to fraud, theft and embezzlement charges.