A Houston man is accused of running illegal trucking companies under fake names while scamming pandemic relief funds and defying federal safety shutdown orders.
According to court records, Shaquan Jelks has been indicted on 18 federal counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, wire fraud, witness tampering, and aggravated identity theft.
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Court documents state Jelks defrauded the U.S. Small Business Administration by illegally obtaining COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans, using the funds to support his trucking operations.
Among the most serious incidents connected to Jelks’ companies was a fatal crash in Vernal, Utah, in February 2022, which involved a relative driving for one of Jelks’ trucking operations, according to the indictment.
Jelks allegedly conspired with family, friends, and associates to register trucking companies in their names to hide his involvement and avoid enforcement. He’s also accused of violating multiple federal court orders and safety shutdowns from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which had declared his operations an “imminent hazard.”
The indictment alleges that between 2019 and April 2025, Jelks and his associates formed multiple trucking companies under different names and straw owners to avoid federal oversight and safety regulations. Prosecutors say Jelks submitted false documents, including counterfeit lease agreements and falsified records, to leasing companies and federal agencies.
In her detention ruling Monday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Christina Bryan wrote that Jelks violated a court-ordered injunction and two FMCSA shutdown orders “by continuing to operate commercial motor vehicles after his operations had been declared an imminent hazard.” The judge added that Jelks “poses a danger to the community by operating commercial motor vehicles in an unsafe manner.”
Jelks is currently being held in federal custody pending trial.