Movers start packing up stuff from Leavenworth warehouse linked to nationwide moving fraud investigation
KMBC 9 Investigates observed movers packing up at warehouse with peoples' missing goods
KMBC 9 Investigates observed movers packing up at warehouse with peoples' missing goods
People with boxes of their most treasured possessions are frustrated they may lose a solid chance to secure their items from inside a Leavenworth warehouse that may be linked to a nationwide moving fraud investigation.
Thursday, a Leavenworth County judge's order delayed an eviction that could have helped reunite hundreds of boxes of household goods with their rightful owners inside the warehouse in the 500 block of Olive Street.
By Friday, KMBC 9 News observed movers starting to pack up and move items out, destination unknown.
Now, residents who learned from KMBC 9 News their items are inside the warehouse are beginning to realize their stuff may be gone — and potentially untraceable — in just days' time.
Many of those people hired Howards Vanlines, a broker under federal investigation.
KMBC has documented dozens of stories with people upcharged on moving day by movers representing Howards. Other accounts say Howards has never delivered items or delivered items with missing or broken pieces.
KMBC received from a source a list of people with items inside the warehouse and referred those people to Leavenworth police.
Eviction case stalls
Some Howards customers have used GPS trackers to link their items to the warehouse.
The building is nondescript, rented by a different company than Howards, Logistic Moving Services, LLC of Tucker, Georgia. But public records show that company is administratively dissolved.
The warehouse's owners, Donald and Kelly Cline, want Logistic out of their property. They filed eviction papers against the company last month, saying Logistic owed thousands in back rent and overdue bills. They are getting calls from Howards customers, too, desperate to get reunited with their belongings. The Clines want nothing more than to reunite people with their items.
Meanwhile, boxes are piled high inside.
KMBC has documented multiple moving crews going in and out of the building over the past few weeks, as the Clines say someone has broken the locks they changed.
But the Clines are struggling, legally, to kick out Logistic and secure everyone's belongings inside.
Thursday, a man who identified himself as Eli Hasut showed up to court to fight the eviction, after a last-minute motion he filed in the case.
In court paperwork, he only identified himself as Eli. He did not have an attorney, but said he did not have time to review the eviction paperwork. The judge eventually granted an extension of time for Hasut to get an attorney and plead his case.
Hasut walked out of the courthouse Thursday, dodging questions from KMBC.
Leavenworth police are encouraging people if they believe items are in the warehouse and may have been part of criminal activity to reach out to the police department where their items originated to file with that department. Then, those people can reach back out to Leavenworth police to investigate.
Meanwhile, time — and household goods — may be slipping away. The next court date is coming up on Aug. 27 with a bench trial taking place in the case Sept. 3.
If you have any information about items in the warehouse, reach out to investigates@kmbc.com.
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