Florida Took Down One Moving Fraud Network. The Bigger Ones Are Still Running.

The Florida Attorney General's office has been more active on moving fraud than any other state. It has also been more active than FMCSA, which has closed zero broker enforcement cases since September 2024. But the state's enforcement record reveals a pattern: the AG can take down networks that have already collapsed or cooperated, while the biggest active complaint generators remain untouched.

The record shows what state-level enforcement looks like when it works, and where it stops.

On March 6, 2025, the Broward County Circuit Court entered a Consent Final Judgment and Stipulated Permanent Injunction against Charles Gordon Abrams and nine companies he operated from the Pompano Beach and Lake Worth area (Case CACE-22-017919).

The companies: Gold Standard Moving and Storage LLC, United American Moving LLC, Razor Van Lines LLC, US Pro Moving and Logistics LLC, Executive Van Lines LLC, National American Van Lines LLC, Imperial Moving Group LLC (dba Simple Path Moving), Spartan Moving and Storage LLC, Southeast Holding LLC, and Southeast Holdings LLC.

Three individuals were named: Charles Gordon Abrams, Daniel J. Metz, and Rudolph Logan Rice.

Four of the companies shared the same address: 2700 W Atlantic Blvd, Pompano Beach, in adjacent suites (100, 114, 204, 208). The AG filed the original complaint in December 2022 under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act (FDUTPA). The consent judgment, entered over two years later, permanently bars the defendants from the moving industry.

Gold Standard and Abrams were ordered to pay a combined $3,419,000 ($3,019,000 from Gold Standard and $400,000 from Abrams) in restitution and civil penalties. DOT-OIG conducted the investigation jointly with the FL AG's office.

This is what enforcement looks like when it works. One person ran nine companies. The AG identified them all, connected them, and shut them down. The cost: $3.4 million.

HomeSafe Transit LLC and its owner Mitchel Kane Malizio entered an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance with the FL AG (Case L23-3-1568). The 21-page settlement resolved the AG's FDUTPA investigation without an admission of wrongdoing.

HomeSafe had accumulated consumer complaints documented by DOT OIG. The AVC terminated the investigation as to the specific acts under review. Unlike the Gold Standard case, there was no permanent injunction and no bar from the industry.

Coastal Moving Services LLC has 229 NCCDB complaints, making it the #4 most-complained moving company in the country. The FL AG served an investigative subpoena on its owner, Robert Castro, on November 12, 2025, requiring him to appear for a sworn statement on December 19, 2025.

Castro did not comply.

On January 30, 2026, the AG petitioned the Broward County Circuit Court for an order compelling compliance (Case CACE-26-001697). The AG is investigating four companies Castro owns: Coastal Moving Services LLC, All Coast Moving Group LLC, Mindful Moving Group LLC, and Empire Moving Group LLC. Coastal and Mindful share the same address: 5455 N Federal Hwy, Suite P, Boca Raton.

As of this writing, Coastal continues to operate. It continues to generate complaints. Its owner ignored a state AG subpoena with no immediate consequence.

Amerisafe Vanlines has 293 NCCDB complaints, #2 nationally. The FL AG initially served an investigative subpoena on co-owner Frank DeSantis in October 2025. DeSantis did not comply. The AG petitioned the court to compel compliance in January 2026.

The investigation ultimately resulted in a settlement. In May 2026, the AG entered an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance (Case L23-3-1566), a 41-page agreement covering ten entities and two individuals: AMS Moving Inc. (f/k/a Nationwide Moving Services, dba Amerisafe), Cross Country Moving Group, Eagle Moving Group (dba New Start Relocation), JDS Moving Enterprises, JL Moving Enterprises, Long Distance Movers (f/k/a Cross Country Moving Systems), National Moving Group, NW Management Services LLC, Frank DeSantis, and Frank Lucido.

The settlement totaled $1,834,000 including restitution, penalties, and $64,241 in attorney fees. The respondents committed to support FMCSA rule amendments. No admission of wrongdoing.

This is the largest documented FL AG moving fraud settlement by number of entities. It connects Amerisafe (#2 nationally) to Eagle Moving Group/New Start Relocation, a company Trunk has documented separately.

Safe Ship Moving Services has 404 NCCDB complaints, the most of any moving company in the FMCSA database. It holds an F rating from the Better Business Bureau. 100 of the 1,080 carriers on its published dispatch list have revoked or inactive authority. An active-duty Navy officer's belongings vanished after Safe Ship dispatched them to a carrier that was not incorporated when FMCSA licensed it.

The Florida AG has taken no enforcement action against Safe Ship. No investigative subpoena has been served on Roger Vance, Safe Ship's CEO. No FDUTPA investigation has been disclosed.

Safe Ship is currently suing USMPO, a consumer protection platform, for listing it as 'not verified.' Its complaint count exceeds Gold Standard, Coastal, and HomeSafe combined. It remains fully operational.

Florida's AG has done more than any other state and more than FMCSA. But the record shows a gap within the gap.

Gold Standard: permanent injunction. 9 companies shut down. Definitive outcome.

HomeSafe: settlement without admission, no industry bar. Company continued.

Amerisafe: initially resisted subpoena, ultimately settled. 41-page AVC covering 10 entities, with penalties and restitution. The largest FL AG moving fraud settlement by number of entities.

Coastal: owner ignored subpoena. AG went to court. Investigation ongoing. Company continues operating.

Menards Moving and Storage: 331 NCCDB complaints, the highest of any broker in 2026 to date, with complaint volume accelerating. No FL AG action disclosed.

Safe Ship: 404 complaints. The most-complained moving company in America. No FL AG action disclosed.

The FL AG has used state consumer protection authority (FDUTPA) rather than the federal enforcement coordination process under 49 USC 14710-14711, which requires advance notice to FMCSA. The state law path has proven more direct but still faces the same bottleneck: uncooperative targets can delay the process for months while continuing to operate.

The question is whether the resources exist to apply this enforcement model to the companies generating the most consumer harm. Menards and Safe Ship, with a combined 735 complaints, have had no AG action at all.