Johnston County— A former Johnson County man, first exposed by WRTV Investigates in 2022 for his Whiteland hot rod shop’s business practices, is headed to federal prison. On Wednesday, John Bragg pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Bragg’s company, “JB Bugs Trick Truck N Rod,” has operations in several states, including Tennessee and Indiana.
A federal judge sentenced him to six years in jail, followed by three years of supervised release.
“Bragg held himself and his business out to be specialists in Volkswagen restoration, including by participating in online communities of Volkswagen enthusiasts and appearing at functions such as automobile conventions,” read a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Tennessee. “Using that presence, he became acquainted with his victims and defrauded them.”
As part of his sentencing, Bragg was sentenced to pay a $79,500 money judgement and more than $300,000 in compensation to his victims, including Diane Bell of Bedford and Diane Kuhn of Fairland, who you met in 2022 through WRTV Investigates. “I’m happy he’s finally serving some time, but it’s honestly not long enough,” Kuhn remarked in response to the punishment. “As for the restitution, none of us will ever see any of it!” We first met Kuhn in 2022, when she told us she hired JB Bugs Trick Truck N Rod to rebuild her 1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle, but they never finished the work.
Customers report that John Bragg used a fictitious identity, JB Goode, to claim ownership of the firm, while Melanie Goode, his significant other, actually owned the hot rod shop. Darci Bell of Bedford purchased a 1965 Volkswagen Bus with her husband.
According to records, she paid $14,000 to JB Bugs Trick Truck N Rod, which accounted for around half of the overall restoration costs. Bell claimed JB also took her car to the Chattanooga shop without her knowledge. “We just kept getting the runaround,” Bell explained. “It was just excuse after excuse.”
So they travelled to Chattanooga to get their van, which Bell alleges was in much worse condition. She has not gotten her refund. As part of his sentencing, Bragg must repay Bell $14,000 in restitution. “I don’t see us getting our money back until he scams more people,” Bell told me. “I’d rather him rot in prison than to get my money back and him scam more people!”
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