Feds charge semi-truck business owner in $105M investment fraud scheme
Kristopher Lunsford faces federal charges over a trucking investment operation prosecutors claim used newer investor funds to pay earlier participants. The post Feds charge semi-truck business owner in $105M investment fraud scheme appeared first on FreightWaves .
Federal prosecutors have charged Kristopher Lunsford, a resident of Henderson, Nevada, with involvement in a $105 million semi-truck investment scheme. Lunsford faces six wire fraud counts and two money laundering charges. The investigation claims that hundreds of people invested in the scheme, expecting passive income from commercial trucking operations.
Customers were told they would receive weekly payouts ranging from $1,000 to $1,250 for leasing commercial semi-trucks, with a potential return of 260% annually over a five-year period. The SEC has filed a separate civil action against Lunsford, AKL Transport, and Southern Truck Leasing, alleging that the operation was a Ponzi scheme that misappropriated at least $127 million from investors between May 2023 and May 2025.
The SEC claims that the businesses falsely represented that they owned and operated approximately 2,000 trucks, while investigators say that only a small portion of the funds went towards business expenses and operations. The DOJ is seeking $105,940,214.93 in forfeitures from the proceeds of the scheme.
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