Sometimes things may indeed be too good to be true. In the snowmobile world, that theory is being posed after the recent arrest of Stanley J. Pophal. He swept into a high-profile position in our little world in the last 18 months.

     Pophal, 63, of Wausau, Wisconsin, tossed around large sums of money, big promises and told even bigger stories while amassing more than 300 rare snowmobiles for his museum. Many of the snowmobiles he sought were tied to snowmobile racing history. They included Blair Morgan originals, a broad cross-section of twin-track oval sleds and much more.

     Backed by tales of exorbitant wealth gained through the sale of a cell phone company, real estate gains and ties to big money families, the shaggy-haired Pophal cut a wide path in the vintage snowmobile collecting community in particular. He seemingly overpaid for a lot of the rare machines he acquired and drove up prices/values significantly.

      Plus, his interest in twin-trackers in particular and theories about starting a circuit with exotic, high-powered oval sleds had folks pondering a strange new future for the sport.

The Arrest

The whole thing, though, may very well have been a house of cards.

     Pophal was arrested in mid June and charged with wire fraud and money laundering. The press release from the U.S. Attorney office (posted below) accuses Pophal of bilking more than $15 million combined from at least 120 investors over a six-year period.

      According to details from the criminal complaint and reporting in the mass media from Wisconsin Public Radio, the Wausau Daily Herald and others, Pophal spun tales of being a multi-millionaire or even a billionaire, and lured investors and potential investors with his lavish lifestyle (including the snowmobile collection). He told investors he could similarly make them rich through his investment plans. Instead he allegedly used investors’ money to further his scheme and cover his tracks, according to reports.

The Snowmobile Side

Within the snowmobiling world, Pophal had been amassing a collection of antique, vintage and one-of-a-kind race sleds for some time. However, his profile dramatically increased in the summer and fall of 2024. By the time the big Hay Days Grass Drag & Swap Meet came around last September, there was a buzz about the long-haired mystery man who was throwing around money and had a seemingly unending passion for snowmobiling.

     We remember a leader of one aftermarket company telling us a story at Hay Days. “There’s this guy who hung out at our booth in cut-off jean shorts and upkept hair, looking like he just rolled out of bed. I’m thinking, ‘Who’s this dude?’ Well apparently, he’s some rich guy whose family had a cell phone company they sold to Verizon for a billion dollars or something. Now he’s spending a bunch of money on his hobbies.”

     Later in the fall, Pophal started inviting snowmobile industry insiders to his massive warehouse in Wausau. That’s where his vast collection of rare sleds and motorcycles was on display. He even posted images and videos on his Facebook page – interestingly a page with his last name misspelled “Puphal” – of some of his high-profile visitors throughout the winter.

     Pophal further attached himself most specifically to the racing community. He sponsored top-end racers and, more than anything, funneled a bunch of time, money and energy into classic twin-track oval racing sleds. Pophal name-checked folks like Allen Decker, Howard Gifford, George Samson and Sabrina Blanchet, among others, on social media in his efforts to get some twin-trackers renewed/rebuilt. He was then part of an effort to highlight the twin tracked sleds in a specialty on-track demonstration at the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt in Quebec. Pophal even posted videos from the jet he chartered from Wisconsin to Quebec to bring himself and others up to Valcourt for the event.

He called his collection “SPJ Sno Pro Legends In Motion.” In February, he announced he’d hired Casey Demer as Vice President of Innovation & Development for SJP, Inc.

“SJP is dedicated to curating a on-of-a-kind gallery showcasing the most legendary snowmobiles and the stories behind them through an immersive experience. As the public face of the brand, Casey will drive strategic direction, ensuring the collection not only honors history but also captivates enthusiasts and newcomers alike,” the February press release stated.

Pophal even fueled talk of an open-rules, high-end version of twin track oval racing. His vision included high-horsepower sleds that would be trucked around the country for wild, high-speed events. Some folks worried about rider safety for such racing, but Pophal’s legend continued to grow as a man with big ideas and deep pockets.

     By mid-to-late spring, though, rumors started buzzing around the snowmobile world that maybe Mr. Pophal had some deep, dark secrets. In April he was among a group of people charged with investment fraud in Iowa. That case, though, involved selling securities in the state without a state license. However, soon thereafter, some folks who had sold him sleds or otherwise done business with him were being contacted by investigators from the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and rumors spread more quickly.

      Pophal’s arrest on June 15 and the accompanying paperwork filed against him brought down more of the curtain. Like anybody who is indicted, the assumption of innocence until conviction is a key part of our legal process. But the court of public opinion has certainly changed the way Pophal is viewed within the community.

Now What?

Some folks are worried about whether anybody in the snowmobiling world will be on his victims list. Others have voiced concern over the future of his vast snowmobile collection. He’s got some truly one-of-a-kind and historic machines that are now under the government’s lock-and-key. Folks have speculated about a big auction in the future, with proceeds partially distributed to the alleged fraud victims.

That may or may not happen. But in the meantime, will those unique machines be maintained, transported and stored in such a way that will do justice to their place in our sport’s colorful history? Time will tell. We’re only at the beginning of this process.

Below is the press release from the U.S. Attorney’s office:

Stanley Pophal is alleged to have stolen more than $15 million from investors

MADISON, WIS. – Timothy M. O’Shea, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Stanley Pophal, 63, Wausau, Wisconsin, with wire fraud and money laundering. Pophal was arrested Saturday and made his initial appearance in federal court yesterday. He was detained pending further proceedings.    

According to the criminal complaint, beginning in 2019, Pophal solicited investors to purchase promissory notes from him with supposedly guaranteed rates of return. In order to lure investors into the scheme, Pophal falsely represented that he was a wealthy businessman. Between May of 2019 and March of 2025, Pophal received more than $15,000,000 from at least 120 investors.

The criminal complaint also alleges that Pophal did not actually invest the majority of the money he obtained from his investors. Instead, Pophal used the money to live an extravagant lifestyle, including the purchase of over 300 snowmobiles. To keep the fraud scheme going, Pophal also used new investor money to make “lulling payments” to previous investors to make it appear as though those investors were earning investment returns.

The charges against Pophal are a result of an investigation conducted by IRS Criminal Investigation and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of the case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Wegner.

You are advised that a charge is merely an accusation, and a person named as defendant in a criminal complaint or indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.