Javian Major received a two-year sentence after officials said he violated probation tied to a forgery case.
HOUSTON, TX — A Houston man accused of targeting grieving families through funeral services is headed back to prison after his probation was revoked over repeated violations, including continued work in the funeral industry, officials said.
Javian Major was sentenced last week to two years in prison after authorities said he violated court-ordered limits that barred him from providing funeral services. The case has drawn attention because families said Major used grief, confusion and trust to gain access to money, bodies and funeral plans at some of the hardest moments of their lives.
Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen said Major had been under supervision after a 2024 forgery case tied to funeral fraud allegations. Investigators said Major posed as a funeral director and offered services even though he was not allowed to do that work. The probation revocation followed findings that he had an illegal drug and provided funeral services that were not approved by the court. Rosen’s office said detectives had investigated crimes involving grieving families and that Major is now going to prison. “You’re dealing with people at the most vulnerable time of their lives,” Rosen said when the case first drew public attention in 2024.
One woman, Shauntayvia Banks, said Major contacted her shortly after her father died in a Beaumont prison on Thanksgiving Day 2025. Banks said she had posted about her father’s death on Instagram when Major sent her a direct message and presented himself as someone who could handle funeral arrangements. She said he offered funeral packages and claimed he had known her father while incarcerated. Banks said her family later had trouble viewing her father’s body, jewelry went missing, payments were unclear and cremation arrangements raised questions. She said she paid about $5,600 and still does not know whether the ashes she received belong to her father.
Major’s case dates back to a wider investigation into unlicensed funeral work in the Houston area. In January 2024, investigators said Major and Sandy Broussard were charged after an eight-month investigation involving Precinct 1 and the Texas Rangers. Authorities said the inquiry began after a tip from the Texas Funeral Service Commission. Major was accused of forgery, while Broussard was accused in a related theft case. Families had accused Major of taking life insurance money, charging for services that were not performed and mishandling human remains. Major later pleaded guilty to forgery and received probation rather than prison.
The new sentence came after officials said Major kept working in the funeral industry despite a court order telling him not to. Andy Kahan with Houston Crime Stoppers said the probation department prepared a detailed report on the violations before the sentence was imposed. Kahan said the result showed that families, investigators and media reports kept pressure on the case. “Finally he got sentenced to the max, which unfortunately is just two years,” Kahan said. Victims and relatives have said the prison term does not answer questions about missing remains, missing money and whether funeral services were handled legally.
The allegations also fit into broader concern over funeral oversight in Texas. The Texas Funeral Service Commission licenses funeral directors, embalmers and funeral establishments, and it handles complaints involving unlicensed services, price disputes and the treatment of remains. Houston-area funeral cases have brought fresh scrutiny to how quickly regulators and law enforcement can act when families report problems. In separate recent cases, state and local officials have investigated unlicensed funeral operations, mishandled remains and complaints involving cremated remains. Major’s case became one of the most visible examples because families said the alleged fraud unfolded during active mourning.
It was not immediately clear whether Major faces new charges connected to the latest allegations from families who say he contacted them after his 2024 case. The prison term came through the revocation of his probation, not through a new trial on every public complaint against him. That means some claims from families remain unresolved in court. Officials have said the sentence was tied to probation violations, including work in the funeral industry and possession of an illegal drug. The next steps will depend on whether investigators or prosecutors file any additional cases based on new complaints.
For families who reported Major, the sentence brings only a partial answer. Banks said the experience left her unsure about one of the most basic parts of her father’s death: whether the ashes she received were really his. Other families have made similar claims in past reports, saying they paid for funerals, embalmings or cremations and were left with doubt, loss and unanswered questions. The case has also left public officials pointing to the emotional nature of funeral fraud. The alleged victims were not shopping for routine services; they were arranging final care for parents, children and relatives.
Major is now expected to serve a two-year prison sentence after the probation revocation. As of June 12, 2026, officials had not announced a new court date for separate charges tied to the latest family complaints.
Author note: Last updated June 12, 2026.