By SDCN Staff
WASHINGTON–An indictment was unsealed on Wednesday in Houston charging a Texas man with offenses related to the alleged operation of illegal and unsafe trucking companies.
According to court documents, Shaquan Jelks, 48, of Houston, managed and controlled multiple commercial trucking companies after being ordered not to do so by a federal court and by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (“FMCSA”), the regulatory agency responsible for ensuring that commercial trucks and their drivers are equipped to operate safely on public roads and highways. The indictment against Jelks alleges that he repeatedly lied to and obstructed the FMCSA, including after a driver for his companies was killed in a single-vehicle crash in February 2022. The indictment also alleges that Jelks relied on fraud to finance his illegal trucking companies, including by diverting to his trucking companies money fraudulently obtained from the Paycheck Protection Program.
“Individuals who impair, impede, or obstruct the lawful functions of the FMCSA make our roads and highways less safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The Department will continue to work closely with the Department of Transportation and our law enforcement partners to protect drivers on our roads and highways.”
“Motorists have a right to expect that the commercial trucks on their roadways—which weigh tens of thousands of pounds or more—are safely maintained and operated,” said U.S. Attorney Nicholas Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas. “By prosecuting those that undermine this expectation of safety, DOJ and DOT are simultaneously keeping our roadways safe and maintaining public confidence.”
The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are investigating the case.
