Nashville Bike Week Changes Tune On Refunds

NASHVILLE, TN — Ever since Nashville Bike Week was forced to find a new venue after Loretta Lynn's ranch backed out of hosting the September 14-24 event, organizers have promised that anyone wanting a refund would be given one, but now it seems things have changed.

Under Terms of Use on its web site, Nashville Bike Week now says "There will be no refunds of any kind for purchased tickets and camping passes. Please review all orders carefully." Meanwhile, a new venue has still not been announced, nearly two weeks after one was promised, and the ex-con promoter of the event is still wanted for several warrants in Tennessee and two other states.

Prior to the change on the site, someone connected with the event emailed WKRN saying “Refunds have started to be preceded (sic), however there aren’t very many refund requests. We haven’t lost any bands or sponsors in our venue change. Our event is still September 14-24th 2017.”

The event's Facebook page says the new venue will be rolled out March 3 at noon, the second time a specific date ad time have been set by promoters to announce Bike Week's new home (for more on Nashville Bike Week and other local news, subscribe to your Middle Tennessee Patch).

After Loretta Lynn's ranch backed out, questions began to be raised about the legitimacy of the event and that of its organizer. Leffingwell has been charged several times in Davidson County for theft. He was sentenced to years of jail time after scamming a home owner by taking a deposit for fencing work and never completing the job or returning the deposit. He's also been charged with similar crimes in Williamson and Maury counties, according to NewsChannel 5.

In 2007, Leffingwell was sentenced to three years in federal prison and ordered by a U.S. District Court Judge in Missouri to pay nearly a quarter of a million dollars in restitution after defrauding numerous companies by presenting himself as a NASCAR truck series driver and signing those companies up for advertising deals for the 2006 NASCAR season. Leffingwell drove in just four NASCAR events between September 2001 and July 2005 and in none after engaging in his scheme. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and for failure to appear.

Leffingwell has also been the subject of numerous Better Business Bureau complaints, not just in Tennessee but in West Virginia as well, typically about uncompleted but paid-for work.

Leffingwell also has outstanding warrants for probation violations in Missouri and Georgia, as well as Maury County, according to News 2.