Howards Van Lines: 166 Complaints From One Truck, a Warehouse Full of Hostage Goods, and an Operator Who Misspelled His Name in Court

Howards Vanlines Inc (USDOT 4391903, MC 1722990), registered at 141 Lanza Ave, Garfield NJ 07026. FMCSA-registered since September 2025. Fleet: one truck. NCCDB complaints: 166 in eight months of operation. The highest per-truck complaint rate in the FMCSA database.

The company represents itself as a carrier to consumers. Sales representative 'Jorge' (201-590-7926) told consumers the company 'operated its own trucks' and that 'the same driver would handle pickup and delivery.' The estimate's fine print admits the company 'will also coordinate and arrange for the transportation of household goods by another FMCSA-authorized motor carrier.' Howards does not hold broker authority. Arranging transportation without broker authority is a federal violation (49 USC 14916, $25,000 minimum penalty for household goods).

KMBC Kansas City's investigative team captured the operator in Leavenworth County eviction court in August 2026. He represented himself. No attorney. In court documents, he identified himself only as 'Eli,' but the judge made him pronounce his full name.

He tried to spell his last name with a D. The judge recognized it as a T.

The operator is Moran Eli Hasut, also known as Elad Hasut, Eli Davis, and Allan Davis. FMCSA's own registration system lists him as the officer of Handle With Care Moving and Transportation LLC (DOT 3190967, Tucker GA), a carrier whose authority was revoked three times: 2021, 2022, and March 30, 2026.

A Change.org petition and Ripoff Report complaints name Hasut as the operator of Spirit Van Lines (Colorado), American Home Relocation, and David and Goliath Moving and Storage. The petition also names Jerry Whaley and Joseph Ammons as co-owners.

At 501 Olive Street, Leavenworth KS, a warehouse leased by 'Logistic Moving Services LLC' stores consumer belongings from moves arranged through Howards Vanlines, JCS Moving and Storage, and Menards Moving and Storage. The lease was signed by Jerry Whaley, the same name that appears on the Change.org petition alongside Hasut.

Logistic Moving Services LLC (DOT 4433059) is registered at 1800 Montreal Court, Tucker GA, the same building as Handle With Care Moving and Transportation.

The landlords, Donald and Kelly Cline, filed eviction papers against Logistic Moving. They gained possession of the premises, then a judge ordered them to give it back after Hasut argued for more time. Consumer belongings remain inside. The landlords' hands are tied by the court proceedings. Consumers cannot retrieve their goods.

A source compiled a list of affected consumers from bills of lading found in the warehouse and provided it to KMBC's investigative team.

On August 20, 2026, the same day the warehouse eviction was being litigated, Howards Van Lines sent a formal 'Breach of Contract / Pre-Collections Notice' to a consumer who had cancelled her booking.

'Marlana, Account Specialist' (609-360-5744) demanded $1,394.18 for a move that never happened. The letter cited the E-SIGN Act, threatened attorney fees, collections, credit damage, and litigation in Essex County, New Jersey. Then offered an 80% 'settlement' of $1,115.34.

The consumer had stopped her deposit payment after learning about the company's complaint history. Howards called this a 'material breach of the agreement.'

A company that cannot pay its own warehouse rent is threatening consumers with collections and credit damage for cancelling bookings.

Trunk's entity link analysis connects Howards Vanlines to at least six other entities:

Handle With Care Moving (DOT 3190967, Tucker GA): Same operator (Hasut). Authority revoked three times.

JCS Moving and Storage (DOT 4526003, Villa Rica GA): Reincarnation of Handle With Care. Registered five days before Handle With Care's third revocation. Same employees, same broker (Menards).

Logistic Moving Services (DOT 4433059, Tucker GA): Same building as Handle With Care. Operates the Leavenworth warehouse.

Menards Moving and Storage (DOT 4072455, Greenacres FL): Florida broker that dispatches to Handle With Care, JCS, and Howards. 290 complaints.

Choice Vanlines (DOT 4528356): Consumers paid 'Apex Consulting' at 3411 NW 9th Ave, Oakland Park FL, the same address identified as a shared call center for the network.

Spirit Van Lines (DOT 1090376, Denver CO): Earlier Hasut operation, connected through consumer complaints and Change.org petition.

In August 2026, a consumer investigator (connected to Google through their state representative) documented how Howards manipulated Google search results beyond fake reviews.

Howards used EIN Presswire, a paid press release distribution service, to release fabricated positive content that pushed down real complaints, Facebook posts, Reddit threads, and news coverage in Google search results. They paid thousands of dollars per week for the campaign. The press releases floated to the top of searches, making documented fraud nearly invisible to consumers researching the company. They also used fraudulent mover review sites filled with fake reviews.

Google's response was comprehensive. Google stripped all fake reviews from Howards' listing, leaving a permanent 1-star rating. Google gutted the company's search engine weight so that horror stories and news coverage (ABC7 New York, KMBC Kansas City) now appear first. Google updated its AI-generated review summary to indicate ongoing investigations. Google's task force is providing identifying information directly to federal investigators.

The investigation also confirmed additional network connections. Choice VanLine is not at its stated address of 575 Midland Ave, Saddlebrook NJ (authorities verified). Choice sent Howards Van Line emails and addresses to three separate Choice victims. Choice uses the same fake review sites, press release companies, and call center employees as Howards. Cobra Van Lines is also connected to the network.

The Howards drivers and sub-companies are tied to Farah Al-Ibrahim (convicted of wire fraud conspiracy in 2019, D.NJ Case 2:19-cr-00140) and her husband Joe, who owns Noble Moving and Storage and the warehouse where some victims' belongings are stored.

A documented Howards estimate (May 2026, consumer case published with permission by KMBC) shows:

Total Tariff: $4,514.00 Tariff Discount: 42.12% = -$1,901.50 Coupon Discount: 45.00% = -$1,316.70 Origin Fee: $881.00 Destination Fee: $200.00 Fuel Surcharge: 12% Total Moving Estimate: $2,690.30

Two fabricated discounts stacked on the same estimate. Neither the 42.12% 'Tariff Discount' nor the 45% 'Coupon Discount' exists in any published tariff. The consumer was charged $5,200 after Moving Mania (operated by Lior Ainuz, Fort Lauderdale FL) showed up instead of Howards.

A retired transportation attorney sent two enforcement requests to FMCSA regarding the Handle With Care / JCS reincarnation (June 19 and July 1, 2026), documenting the chameleon carrier pattern with complete evidence. FMCSA's response: an automated message directing him to file a consumer complaint on the NCCDB.

The same attorney sent an enforcement request to DOT OIG on May 29, 2026, regarding Howards Vanlines.

FMCSA has closed zero broker enforcement cases since September 2024. Howards Vanlines has operated for eight months with 166 complaints from a single truck, an operator with multiple prior revocations under different company names, and a warehouse full of consumer goods subject to eviction proceedings.

Update (August 29, 2026): FMCSA has begun investigating Howards Vanlines. Investigators showed up at the company's registered address at 141 Lanza Ave, Garfield NJ and found a virtual office, not a bona fide office where records are kept. Under FMCSA regulations, carriers must maintain a physical address where records can be accessed and inspected. A virtual office does not meet this standard.

Consumers who filed complaints about Howards are encouraged to resubmit their complaints directly to the FMCSA NJ Division (mcnjoff@dot.gov) and the Eastern Service Center (ESCEnforcement@dot.gov) to support the active investigation.

Update (September 6, 2026): KMBC 9 Investigates reported that goods are being moved from the Leavenworth warehouse to a new warehouse near Trimble, Clinton County, Missouri along US Route 169. KMBC physically followed box trucks on two separate days making the cross-state-line transfer. Eli Hasut, who represented Logistic Moving Services in eviction court, failed to appear for a scheduled hearing. A judge granted immediate possession of the Leavenworth property back to the Cline landlords. However, most items had already been moved before the Clines regained control.

Both the Leavenworth Police Department and the Clinton County Sheriff's Office confirmed investigations are underway. Kelly Cline, the warehouse landlord, called for a national moving fraud task force, stating: 'Every day, companies like Logistic Moving Services open up a different business and it will be Moving Logistics Services, and they will just change the names and it will be three or four people swapping out names on LLC forms.'

KMBC published the approximate location of the Missouri warehouse to help consumers track their belongings. KMBC's four-state map of the Howards operation: sales in Garfield NJ, call center (Apex Consulting) in Oakland Park FL, carrier and warehouse operations in Tucker GA, storage in Kansas and now Missouri.

Multiple consumer reports have been submitted to Trunk about Howards Van Lines in August and September 2026.

Steve L.: Huge Van Lines contracted Howards for pickup in Town and Country, MO without consumer knowledge. Driver Jordan and non-English-speaking helpers arrived in an almost-full semi instead of a 28-foot box truck. Howards tried to charge an extra $5,000 at pickup. Consumer refused. Howards took only part of the furniture. Delivery date missed. Owner Joe Hannouch (108 Washington Ave A, Hawthorne NJ) denied owning Howards, but driver Jordan called back saying Joe wanted to know how they got his info. Consumer also reports Howards uses the 'Choice Van Line' name.

Cheryl H.: Americas Moving and Storage (broker) sent Howards as carrier. Quote: $6,700. Final cost: $35,700 (433% over). Movers showed up at 5pm with box trucks, made 3 trips in 15 hours for a 16,000 sq ft home. Delivery missed by weeks. On June 13, with a sheriff present in the living room, David from Howards demanded $7,000 cash on speaker phone claiming the truck could not enter the subdivision. Sheriff corrected him: it was a military subdivision with regular 18-wheeler access. Sheriff watched consumer count cash but said he could not intervene (civil matter). Delivered items were broken or destroyed. Remaining items stolen: king platform bed, king mattress/box springs, queen mattress/box springs, patio furniture. David screened calls, yelled, hung up, never called back.

Tara R.: Quoted $5,683, charged $10,000. Contract obligation ended August 14. Company refuses to disclose location of household items. Last verbal information: items were loaded August 25. As of September 9, no delivery and no information.

Sue M.: 'We also have lost a lot from Howard Van Lines. A horrible nightmare.'

Laura L.: 'Howards is about to go down in a big way. You dont ever mess with a Battleship sailor.'

Update (September 2026): A consumer advocate in Facebook moving fraud groups reports that a Howards driver has already been arrested, with a 'massive ongoing investigation going on with multiple federal agencies and multiple states.' This has not been independently verified by Trunk but is consistent with the FBI referral documented by ABC7 and the Independence MO police department investigation.

Matt Ford (San Diego to Oklahoma, April 2026): Hired Howards. Company required $1,800 deposit by check. Showed up two days past the contract date and demanded an additional $12,800. Ford refused. Howards claimed he 'refused the move' and forfeited the deposit. Ford fought his bank, worked his way up to senior management, and recovered a full refund. His advice to other consumers: 'DONT TAKE NO FROM YOUR BANK.' This is a documented case of a consumer successfully recovering a deposit through bank escalation, even when the initial dispute was denied.