A moving fraud investigation that started with customers using GPS trackers to locate belongings at the Fifth and Olive Streets warehouse in Leavenworth, Kansas, has now stretched across the state line into Missouri, where KMBC followed shipments to a new building near Trimble along U.S. Route 169. At the center of the case is Howards Vanlines, a company customers say failed to deliver their belongings, ghosted them entirely, or delivered items with pieces missing or broken.
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, thousands of Americans report experiencing moving fraud each year. FMCSA regulations provide protections for consumers who hire interstate movers.
According to KMBC, investigative reporter Matt Flener has documented dozens of accounts of customers being upcharged thousands of dollars on moving day by movers representing Howards Vanlines. The station reports that Howards Vanlines did not respond to multiple phone and email attempts to reach the company, and that it is now under federal investigation by the U.S. Department of Transportation for potential moving fraud. At least three Howards customers say they tracked their own items to the Leavenworth warehouse using GPS trackers, according to the station's reporting.
Landlords Fought to Reclaim the Warehouse
The Leavenworth warehouse sits at Fifth and Olive Streets, where Logistic Moving Services had rented the building from landlords Donald and Kelly Cline, per the same account. The Clines pursued eviction proceedings against Logistic Moving Services over money they said was owed, according to the reporting.
A judge eventually granted the Clines immediate possession of the property back, but the station's report notes that Eli Hasut, who represented Logistic Moving Services in court, did not show up for the scheduled hearing meant to finish the eviction process and instead used the court system to stall it. Trunk's reporting identifies the man in court as Eli Hasut.
Shipments Followed Across the State Line
KMBC 9 Investigates says it followed the same box truck moving shipments from Leavenworth to a new building in Clinton County, Missouri, tracking two separate Howards Vanlines shipments to the site near Trimble on two different days. The station watched movers clear out the Leavenworth warehouse over roughly two weeks before most of the items were relocated, and it published the approximate area of the new Missouri warehouse to help affected customers track their possessions.
Kelly Cline told the station that moving companies can simply open different businesses, change names, and swap people among LLC forms to stay ahead of scrutiny. That pattern shows up beyond Leavenworth: a Georgia carrier called Handle With Care Moving and Transportation LLC had its federal operating authority involuntarily revoked by the FMCSA for the third time in March, just five days before a replacement carrier called JCS Moving and Storage LLC obtained its own FMCSA license, according to Trunk's reporting.
A Four-State Pipeline Behind the Warehouse
Industry entity link analysis mapped a broader four-state network behind the Leavenworth warehouse, according to Trunk: sales operations out of Garfield, New Jersey; call center operations under Apex Consulting in Oakland Park, Florida; carrier and warehouse operations in Tucker, Georgia under Logistic Moving Services and Handle With Care; and storage warehouses in Kansas and Missouri. Howards Vanlines Inc, registered in Garfield in September 2025, generated 166 complaints in the FMCSA's National Consumer Complaint Database over eight months while operating with only one registered truck, per Trunk's review.
The Better Business Bureau separately logged 96 customer complaints against Howards Vanlines in the 12 months ending in July, while both the company's USDOT and Motor Carrier operating authority numbers remained active in federal records. Even while litigating its Leavenworth eviction, Howards Vanlines issued formal pre-collections legal notices to customers who had canceled bookings, threatening credit damage, administrative fees, and mandatory litigation in Essex County, New Jersey courts, according to Trunk.
Jurisdictional Gaps Slow the Response
Local law enforcement has faced real limits in acting quickly. The Leavenworth Police Department told KMBC it could not enter the warehouse while contract delivery windows for customers remained active, and the department is now investigating the missing items and delayed shipments alongside the Clinton County Sheriff's Office in Missouri. KMBC says it informed both agencies of the exact new warehouse location and has received a list of people with items still inside the original Leavenworth building.
Howards customers have struggled to get help from law enforcement across Kansas, Missouri, and their home states, the station reports, and Donald and Kelly Cline have struggled themselves to regain full possession of the warehouse in order to return items to their rightful owners. Kelly Cline put it bluntly to KMBC: it's like law enforcement knows where the shipments are and can do something, but isn't investigating it. She's called for law enforcement and prosecutors across the country to form a permanent moving fraud task force.
For now, no charges have been filed against any of the companies involved. KMBC advises people with missing shipments to file a police report in the original location where their move began, and to encourage that agency to contact either the Leavenworth Police Department at 913-682-4411 or the Clinton County Sheriff's Office at 816-539-2156. Law enforcement may prioritize investigating items that have gone missing for months over those still inside an original contract window, and readers with information can also reach KMBC Investigates at [email protected].
Federal Penalties Loom Over Hostage-Load Schemes
The case unfolds against a backdrop of federal law written specifically for situations like this. Under 49 U.S.C. § 14901(d)(3), operating or arranging household goods moves without valid broker authority carries mandatory civil penalties of at least $25,000 per violation, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Separately, federal law addresses hostage-load schemes involving fees, as described by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal enforcement efforts, including the FMCSA's Operation Protect Your Move and a Florida enforcement action, have targeted deceptive moving practices, though regulators continue to face challenges policing networks that dissolve and re-register under new names. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's Operation Protect Your Move is among those efforts. Hoodline previously reported on a $1.83 million enforcement action against Florida movers, while hostage-load extortion schemes continue to test the limits of both local and federal jurisdiction.
