AY Transport: 1,000 Victims, 14 Indicted, and Two Fugitives the Government Considers Armed and Dangerous

In December 2007, a federal grand jury indicted 14 people for conspiracy and extortion connected to AY Transport Inc, a California-based moving company that also operated as Progressive Van Lines and Midwest Relocation Services. The indictment documented over 1,000 victims between April 2001 and October 2005, with more than $250,000 in documented losses.

Two of the defendants remain DOT OIG fugitives flagged Armed and Dangerous. That designation is unusual for moving fraud, which is typically prosecuted as a white-collar financial crime. A third fugitive remains at large. A fourth was a fugitive for 11 years before being captured at San Francisco International Airport in September 2018.

AY Transport Inc, Progressive Van Lines, and Midwest Relocation Services were three names for a single operation. The company used different brands to reach different customer segments and to make it harder for consumers to connect complaints across the network.

The fraud followed the pattern that federal prosecutors have documented in moving fraud cases for decades. Drivers rushed customers through blank or incomplete paperwork on moving day. After belongings were loaded, the company inflated weight claims and overcharged for packing materials. The price customers were told to pay bore little resemblance to the estimate they had received.

When customers refused to pay the inflated amount, their goods were held hostage. Belongings were warehoused and the location was withheld. Customers who wanted their property back had one option: pay what the company demanded.

Over four and a half years, this operation defrauded more than 1,000 consumers. The documented losses exceeded $250,000, though actual losses were likely higher given that many victims never reported the fraud.

Two defendants from the AY Transport case are flagged Armed and Dangerous on the DOT OIG Most Wanted Fugitives list. This designation means law enforcement considers these individuals a physical threat during any apprehension attempt.

Barak Braunshtain was a driver for the operation. He was indicted on conspiracy and extortion charges. He is described as 6 feet 2 inches, 176 pounds, with a date of birth of June 25, 1975. His last known location was Coconut Creek, Florida.

Amit Ezyoni was the owner and CEO of AY Transport. He was indicted on conspiracy and extortion charges. He is described as 6 feet, 220 pounds, with a date of birth of November 26, 1971.

Both remain at large as of September 2026.

The Armed and Dangerous designation is noteworthy because it is atypical for moving fraud prosecutions. Most moving fraud defendants are charged with financial crimes: wire fraud, conspiracy, extortion related to household goods. The Armed and Dangerous flag suggests the government had information indicating these individuals posed a physical risk beyond the financial fraud they were charged with. The OIG does not publicly explain the basis for the designation.

Four defendants from the AY Transport indictment became fugitives. Their cases illustrate the difficulty of apprehending moving fraud defendants once they flee.

Asaf Nass remains a DOT OIG fugitive. His OIG profile lists him as a Known Associate of Braunshtain, Ezyoni, and Kaupp.

Eli Kaupp was a fugitive for 11 years. In September 2018, he was captured at San Francisco International Airport while attempting to leave the country for Mexico. Kaupp had evaded law enforcement since the December 2007 indictment. His capture at SFO, over a decade after indictment, demonstrates both the persistence of federal warrants and the difficulty of locating moving fraud fugitives.

The DOT OIG lists Braunshtain, Ezyoni, Nass, and Kaupp as Known Associates of each other, confirming the connection between all four fugitives and the AY Transport operation.

Kaupp's capture is the exception. Most moving fraud fugitives on the OIG list have been wanted for a decade or more without apprehension.

The AY Transport case documented over 1,000 victims from a single operation using three company names. That number is significant for several reasons.

First, it establishes the scale of damage a single moving fraud operation can inflict. One company, operating for less than five years, defrauded more than a thousand people. Each victim lost belongings, money, or both. Many lost irreplaceable personal items.

Second, the three-name structure, AY Transport, Progressive Van Lines, and Midwest Relocation Services, is exactly the kind of alias network Trunk documents in chameleon carrier investigations. Three names, one operation, one set of people. The purpose of multiple names is to dilute complaint histories. A consumer researching 'Midwest Relocation Services' would not find complaints filed against 'AY Transport Inc.' The names create the illusion of separate companies when there is only one.

Trunk maps these alias networks across dozens of current operations. The pattern documented in the AY Transport indictment in 2007 is the same pattern operating across the industry in 2026. Different names. Same people. Same trucks. Same fraud.

The AY Transport case was prosecuted federally, requiring a grand jury indictment. The investigation covered a fraud operation spanning 2001 to 2005. The indictment came in December 2007. That is a minimum of two years from the end of the fraud to the indictment, and up to six years from the earliest documented victims.

During those years, the company continued to operate and defraud consumers. The regulatory system, FMCSA's complaint database, the NCCDB, state consumer protection offices, received complaints but did not stop the operation. It took a federal criminal investigation to shut it down.

Even then, the outcome was incomplete. Of 14 defendants, at least four became fugitives. One was captured after 11 years. Two remain flagged Armed and Dangerous. One remains at large with no capture reported.

The AY Transport case is a success story by the standards of moving fraud enforcement. It produced an indictment, identified the defendants, and resulted in at least one dramatic capture. It is also a story of systemic failure: 1,000 victims over four years before criminal charges were filed, and two of the most dangerous defendants never found.

Rush customers through blank paperwork. Inflate the price after loading. Hold belongings hostage. Operate under multiple names. Disappear when enforcement closes in.

Every element of the AY Transport scheme is documented in active FMCSA complaints and Trunk investigations in 2026. The tactics are not evolving. They do not need to. The regulatory response has not changed enough to force adaptation.

FMCSA has closed zero broker enforcement cases since September 2024. The agency that is supposed to regulate household goods transportation has not completed a single enforcement action against a broker in over two years. Meanwhile, companies using the AY Transport playbook continue to operate, accumulate complaints, and defraud consumers at the same rate.

The criminal justice system proved in 2007 that these practices constitute federal crimes. The regulatory system in 2026 treats them as complaints to be categorized and filed.

If you recognize Barak Braunshtain, Amit Ezyoni, or Asaf Nass, or have information about their location, contact:

DOT Office of Inspector General: 1-800-424-9071 Or your local police department.

Full fugitive profiles with photographs: oig.dot.gov/wanted-fugitives

If you have been the victim of moving fraud, file a complaint at nccdb.fmcsa.dot.gov or call 1-888-368-7238. You can also report to your state attorney general and submit your story to Trunk at trunk.lorea.ai/submit-story.