Jury Convicts Two in $2 Million Cargo Theft Scheme Run Through Bought Trucking Firms

On Sept. 29, a Los Angeles federal jury convicted two men of conspiring to steal cargo by buying or fraudulently using legitimate trucking companies, winning real shipping contracts and then never delivering the loads. Prosecutors estimated losses at no less than $2 million, with thefts across Southern California and in Grand Prairie, Texas, between March 2024 and June 2025.

Cargo theft case: verdicts and how the scheme worked

Arshpreet Singh, 28, of Sacramento, and Vikramjeet Singh, 31, of Fontana, California, were each found guilty of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate or foreign shipments, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. Arshpreet Singh was also convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud; the jury acquitted Vikramjeet Singh on that count after a seven-day trial. U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang set sentencing for Jan. 20, 2027. The statutory maximums are 20 years for Arshpreet Singh and five years for Vikramjeet Singh.

Trial evidence described carriers bought outright as the entry point. In March 2024, Arshpreet Singh paid about $22,000 for Z&F Transportation LLC, a Texas-based carrier; later that month a co-conspirator used the company’s name to pick up a load of televisions in Fontana that never reached its Florida destination. In May 2024, co-conspirators bought Skyways Trucking LLC and used it to take laptops, televisions and solar panels. Loads were booked through brokers, including Uber Freight, prosecutors said. Stolen goods also included appliances, vacuums, LED lights, shoes and tires, picked up from warehouses in cities such as Fontana, Vernon, Long Beach, Compton, Chino and Moreno Valley.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Inland Violent Crime Suppression Task Force and IRS Criminal Investigation, together with the Fontana Police Department, the San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles county sheriff’s departments and the Fort Worth (Texas) Police Department.

How the purchased carriers were used

According to prosecutors, the defendants bought established trucking firms to advance the scheme, and loads were then picked up in those companies’ names. In its coverage of the verdict, FreightWaves said the case illustrates how a carrier name with history behind it can open the door to genuine contracts and valuable freight. Truck News also reported the verdict, citing the federal release.

What it means for shippers

A long operating history does not by itself confirm who controls a carrier today. Shippers and the brokers they use should look for recent changes in ownership, contact details, phone numbers or insurance on a carrier record, verify the driver and truck at pickup against what was booked, and treat last-minute changes to the delivery address as a red flag. In this case, televisions, laptops and appliances were among the goods taken.

Carrier liability on trucking shipments is limited, so cargo insurance is the main financial backstop if a load disappears. ExFreight offers optional all-risk cargo insurance at booking; see how to buy additional insurance.