A federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida has indicted Kristopher Lunsford, 46, of Henderson, Nevada, on six counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced Sept. 25. Prosecutors allege that from December 2023 to May 2025, Lunsford solicited more than $105 million from investors to buy semi-truck leases, promising about $1,000 to $1,250 a week per truck while he ran the operations.
According to prosecutors, about $75 million went to pay earlier investors and more than $25 million to personal spending. In a parallel civil complaint filed Sept. 24, the SEC alleges Lunsford and his companies, AKL Transport and Southern Truck Leasing, raised about $127 million from roughly 765 investors and materially overstated a claimed fleet of about 2,000 trucks. An indictment is an allegation, and Lunsford is presumed innocent.
The case highlights fraud risk in truck-leasing offers marketed as passive income from freight operations. The FBI is asking possible victims to complete an online questionnaire.
Sources
- U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida: Owner of Semi-truck Business Indicted for Operating $105 Million Fraud Scheme (Sept. 25, 2026)
- SEC complaint: SEC v. Lunsford et al., No. 8:26-cv-02923 (M.D. Fla.)
- FBI victim questionnaire: Truck Lease Fraud
- FreightWaves: Feds charge semi-truck business owner in $105M investment fraud scheme
