February 13, 2025 • 40 mins
Investors in the Truck Biz in a Box platform face hardships as Crystal Young shares her turbulent experience with Chamaine Jeffers. Her story gives valuable insights into the need for transparency, careful consideration, and vigilance in investment pursuits.
• Crystal's $50,000 investment in Truck Biz in a Box
• Red flags in documentation and contract agreements
• Difficulty in finding drivers despite proactive measures
• Truck broke down within a week of assignment
• Ongoing communication issues with Jeffers
• Legal community involvement due to widespread problems
• Lessons on transparency and vulnerability in investments
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Good morning or afternoon everybody.
This is Tammy, your host ofTrucking with Tammy.
As you've read, or as I've said, we are doing a whole series
this week on investors whoclaimed that they had some bad
business dealings with ShemaineJeffers and her Truck Biz in a
Box platform.
Today we are going to speak toone of the investors, crystal
(00:24):
young, who invested about fiftythousand dollars in the truck
biz in a box program withshemaine jeffers and she's
claiming that shemaine did notdeliver what she promised.
So I'm gonna bring crystal up.
We are going to talk to crystalabout her experience, uh, and
how this played out for her.
(00:45):
So one moment while I bring herup.
Good morning, hi, crystal.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, I can hear you.
Well, welcome to Trucking withTammy podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I'm sorry to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So today.
So you are the second person togo public with your business
dealings with Shemaine Jeffers.
Yeah, yeah.
So we are going to talk abouthow you came into contact with
Shemaine and your businessdealings and how everything
(01:25):
played out for you and what thefuture is looking like.
Okay, okay, so we oh, I'm sorryGo ahead.
So you did you curious questionbefore we get started Did you
have any experience in thetrucking industry before this
(01:46):
interaction?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I have um.
I got my, my ceo with crengland and I used to be
trucking for a little bit, butum, I decided to um stay home
and homeschool my daughter.
But um, even before that likenot before that, but like um
after that I got my llc and Iwas actually um, um had a
(02:09):
delivery, um route and I woulddeliver pharmaceutical, um
pharmaceutical drugs toretirement homes at night.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
So that's where I got my llc yeah, so you actually
had had a company called CTReliable Transportation LLC,
correct?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
And it looks like you actually set this LLC up back
in 2019.
Yes, ma'am, OK so you youactually looks like came into
contact with Shemaine Jeffersaround 2022.
Came into contact with ShemaineJeffers around 2022?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, that's correct.
I saw her on Truck and Hustleand I saw that she had a
wonderful business deal and Iwas like, well, I'm not going to
go in on that because it seemsso good, Because I knew a little
bit about it but I didn't knowthe back end.
So I was just looking forsomething passive for me and my
(03:10):
family.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And what kind of training did, did, did.
She may not offer you anytraining before the contract.
Were you looking at any of herother programs before you went
with the truck?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
visit in a box um, no , um, I just called and see
about it and my husband wetalked about it um, what I
previously was going to do waslike, just like, put my toe in
it, put like a thousand dollarsdown.
That was like the differenttiers.
He had like a thousand, fifteenthousand, thirty five and then
(03:45):
fifty, which was the top tier,and, um, like my husband's, like
no, we're not gonna do that,we're gonna go to the fifty
thousand because we don't wantto share, because you know they
had other people in there and so, um, they had to sign a
contract and all that he said,oh, that might not be reliable,
let's do the fifty thousand.
So that's pretty much whathappened at that time.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Okay, so you were saying that at the time that you
came into contact with thetruck visit in the box their
tiers.
How many tiers did they have?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I think it's like at least I know it's $1,000.
That's the lowest tier, okay,$15,000, and then $35,000, and
then $50,000.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
And that was the lowest tier $15,000 and then
$35,000 and then $50,000 andthat was the top tier when we
had Tezra on the show earlierthis week, she had sent us one
of the tier structuresadvertisements, and the one she
sent us, the top tier, was$15,000, which allowed you to
just be one owner.
(04:44):
You didn't have to shareownership.
So, you were saying there wastwo more tiers past that, a 35
and a 50.
So what did those tiers providethat the other ones didn't?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Well, this is like truck, um, whatever back in they
have for us, like all theoffice work, um, so that's
pretty much it, um, and thedrivers, drivers, drivers and
(05:20):
what else.
That's all I remember.
For us.
It it's her providing the um,the for the package.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Because your contract that you sent me that I looked
over it looks pretty identicalas far as services offered as
Tezris.
Okay.
Um so I was kind of curiouswhat the difference was with the
pricing.
Um, I didn't know if it wastrucks, I didn't know exactly
what, what you were getting forthat fifty thousand dollars, uh,
(05:48):
for her uh, I think it's likeit wasn't hers in 2021, is that
correct?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
that's probably why, um, she updated her website at
that time, and so it it she kindof revised it where it got more
money.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Restructured probably .
Yeah, okay, it might've beenthe cost of the trucks, you know
, because yeah, pretty much.
So okay.
So you, you watched all herstuff.
You talked to your husband and,without any history of the back
end of trucking, you said let'sdo this.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Well, well for me, I for me, I had a book.
I was even if she is out of theway I wanted to learn the
business myself so that I can doit myself and have my own fleet
.
So I brought a book, I wasreading on it, you know, but
during the time frame when wewere because we were in a group
(06:46):
for us investors and during thattime frame, you know, I was
trying to learn dispatching, um,she did, uh, credit credit
reporting as well for thebusiness, and I was learning how
to do the back end office stufffor myself okay, so she was
providing training services forthat for you yeah it was okay.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Was that included with your package, or did you
have to pay for anything outsideof that?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I didn't pay um she offered for me free.
Um I guess she she felt bad orI don't know, I'm not sure, but
but I was like, is she offeringfree?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
and so you know, I took advantage of it, you know
okay so, um, when she, when,when you approached her that you
were interested in the business, the truck is in a box um, how
much detail did she give youabout how the process was going
to work, moving forward, Wellfor her.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I asked her when is the truck going to be on the
road?
And the email that you got, shesaid it was, let me see, let me
read it.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
It looks like on February 15th.
Yeah, this is the email.
She sent me.
These emails, guys, so it lookslike, um, she had you notarize
the contract, so you reached outto her and did you.
Before you signed the contract,before you asked about the
delivery, how much of aconversation was there about
(08:22):
what she was going to do for you?
Speaker 2 (08:25):
What she told me was weekly.
What they grossed was $2,000.
That's the low end Between$3,000 a week.
And so I thought, oh, that'sawesome and stuff like that.
And we talked to one of herinvestors and she said she was
doing great um for us gettingweekly settlement payments and
(08:50):
we didn't really discuss toomuch.
But more of you know this,getting somebody in talking to
us um saying how much they getpaid, we're actually um where
the truck might be, because shealready had the trucks already.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Okay so that's my question.
She said she already had trucks.
Were these her trucks that sheowned, or did she advise that
she was leasing these?
What did she tell you aboutwhere these trucks came from?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
She said she already owned it.
It's in her name name, but it'slike we had to pay payments on
it and the trailers is rented,so we had to pay payments on
that as well, and that will comeout of the settlement okay, so
you were under the understandingthat she owned trucks.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You were going to be buying those trucks from her.
You guys were going to berenting trailers from a third
party.
She was going to be coming beproviding drivers and she would
be sending you a weeklysettlement statement.
Yes, ma'am, and this is all theconversation that you had prior
to signing the contract yes,ma'am okay, and then she sent
you this contract, which ispretty thick, so I'm not going
(09:59):
to go over and I read the wholething before.
I even signed.
I read the whole thing.
So you had to get it notarized.
So did you seek legal counselto go over the contract before
you signed it?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I did not.
That was my problem.
I did not.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Did the person that did the notary have anything to
say about the blank pages wherethere was zero information
filled up?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
No.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Okay, because that to me is a red flag when you have
to sign it and notarize it.
Normally a lawyer or notary inmy past experiences have always
um, had you put something inthere, um, maybe to be
determined or so forth, um, butthat that wasn't so.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I wasn't curious if that was a red flag or what her
explanation for that was well, Iwas assuming this was my mind,
excuse me, um, this was in mymind that, even though she
advertised and said that yourname, your business name, is
going to be on the truck, I wasassuming that she interchanged
the trucks from differentinvestors.
(11:14):
That's what my mind was, okay.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
But that's not what the terms of the contract were
right, yeah, exactly.
Okay, so you were supposed tobe getting a check from her.
So part of the when you signedthis contract, part of the
responsibilities was setting upthe LLC which you already had.
So it also said the equipmentwould be assigned to you and you
(11:42):
would.
The plates would be in yourname.
Did you get any paperworkshowing that the plates were in
your name?
Speaker 2 (11:50):
no, because everything was in her name.
I you know that's what she wassaying.
There's nothing in my name, inmy business name at all.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
No, so she was supposed to be setting up and
managing your trucking businessbut you're saying there wasn't
actual a trucking business setup.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I just feel like, um, there was no truck, and then
she was always complaining thatthere was no driver, um, but the
thing is for me, I'm proactive,so with me I'm advertising on
different platforms to get adriver.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
So let's go back, because before you have a driver
, you have to have a truck.
Yeah, so.
So she told you she had truckson her lot, she already owned
trucks, and you did end upsending me two statements that
you got.
So when did the truck pop up?
When did you get the truck?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
um, I believe between it might have been in march,
but she didn't have a driverokay, but let's start with the
truck.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Did she send you VIN numbers?
Did she send you any paperworkof the truck that you were going
to have any information aboutit?
None, no.
Mileage Year.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Nothing, but the thing she did say it was a 2015
fake liner and that was it.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Okay.
Do you have the email or thecorrespondence with that, or was
it a phone call?
It was a phone call.
It was a phone call, okay, soshe never filled out this
information that she had in thecontract.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Actually, actually, it wasn't even a phone call.
It was actually in the formthat we are, in all, the
investors in so they had a listof yeah, yeah, it forum that we
are and all the investors in sothey had a list of yeah, yeah,
it was a head of list of all theinvestors, and then she
assigned a different um truck toyou.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Okay, okay, so you got.
She said you got a 2015, butyou you didn't have any
paperwork of that.
Okay, and then your nextobstacle was needing a driver.
Yes, okay, and how did that go?
She's obstacle was needing adriver.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yes, okay, and how did that go?
She's always asking for adriver in the forum.
She's like I need a driver, Ineed a driver.
I mean, she had meetings aboutthat and everything but for me-.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's an industry-wide problem.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
It is For me.
I'm proactive.
So I actually became a memberof the national association
small trucking companies and umI.
I got a membership from there,um, and also a driving.
I was under the driverrecruiting program.
I had to pay for that too.
So these people um that they'rerecruiting, they're sitting to
(14:33):
me and so they have two yearsexperience, no infractions,
nothing.
So I'm sitting her 30 over 30drivers that are qualified, but
she said, no, I don't have anydrivers.
So I don't understand.
I'm advertising, I'm doing whatI'm supposed to do on my end,
(14:56):
but why can't you do what you'resupposed to do on your end?
Speaker 1 (14:59):
right, so you got the truck, yeah, so you waited for
the truck and now you have thistruck and she's saying but
there's no driver.
So once she assigned the truck,are you having to make truck
payments?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
no, I didn't make any truck payments or anything,
because, okay, I don't know, shejust I guess it came out her
bank account, I don't know, butI wasn't making any payments so
at this point it's just the theinitial $50,000 that you sent
her and okay so how much timewent so your contract was signed
on February 15th um and youryour funds sent in sorry 17th.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
You signed the contract.
You sent in your $50,000 onFebruary 15th, though when you
think it was about March thatyou got the truck.
When did she tell you she had adriver?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
It wasn't like you see those statements.
It says September timeframe,but it was her truck and her
driver.
I mean, she said I give you thebest truck.
It's my truck and my driver, solet me go ahead and September
time frame and it only lasted aweek and broke down for a week.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Okay, what do you mean?
Her truck and her driver.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Meaning like that's how well, that's how she said it
.
Like I just said that I didn'thave a truck like in my name.
It was in her name, so she wassaying it's you know, I get the
best, the best truck and my bestdriver.
So I don't get what she wassaying there because it's in her
name, it's her truck, right,and her drivers and employees.
(16:38):
So it broke down and it was inthe repair shop.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That's even the thing that we're hearing a lot right
off the bat.
So everybody says the samething.
So it ran for two weeks.
Was it two weeks?
You gave me two statements,statements so I wasn't quite
sure there was, there was, wasit?
two statements, let me let me goto statements yeah, so, um,
that would have been two weeksright I thought it was a week,
(17:08):
but it might have been two weeksuh, is it one statement per
week or?
Um, yeah, yeah, okay, so yousent me.
Well, they're both.
Let's see here.
I'm bear with me, guys, while Ipull up this statement here.
Um, we have, looks like, paystatement for february 4th 2022.
(17:31):
Three pages long, and then May20th 2022.
May 20th.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I didn't have anything in May.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
So what?
The statements you sent me, thestatements you sent me.
Why did you put it in May?
So yeah, so the statements yousent me, the statements you sent
me.
Why did she put it in May?
Because it was a September?
Well, I'm curious, because thefirst pay statement that she
sent you is dated February 4thand that was before you signed
(18:12):
your contract with her.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Did you not notice that I?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
didn't?
That's a great question.
That is a great question.
So the first statement, if youwould pull up the email you sent
me, Okay, let me see.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Actually I can find it.
It's in here somewhere.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
So it says pay statement date May 20th and the
dates of the trips are in May.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
No, that was in September.
No, that's no possible way.
That's what's on here, butthat's not right.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
It was September, I'm afraid the first one was dated
February 4th for runs that wasdone, runs that were done
January 26th and February 1st,which was before you signed your
(19:14):
contract.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Yes, the dates are lying.
Yes, it's September.
It was one week.
What the world?
I didn't even have anyattention to that.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Thank you for doing that.
You're welcome.
Yeah, but in your records whenshe messaged you, the truck
actually only ran when.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
It was at the end of September of 2022.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That last week, and it broke down and can you pull
up in your email when she sentyou these statements?
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Oh, I hope I got it.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Do you still have access to that?
I wasn't quite sure.
Paper trail is very importantwith what you're going through
right now.
So, yeah, I found thatinteresting.
That's why I printed these outtoday, because um dates are very
important dates are veryimportant.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
See if I find it still so while you're doing that
?
Speaker 1 (20:22):
so you were saying she told you in March she had a
truck, but then she didn't havea driver until September, and
then she ran them for one weekand then told you the truck
broke down.
Yes, that is crazy.
So all this time from she ranthem for one week and then told
you the truck broke down.
Yes, that is crazy.
So all this time from March toSeptember.
What was she saying?
What was her excuse?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
She was saying that the, the um, everything for as
back back then it was low and sothey didn't.
She didn't have drivers.
She was still looking fordrivers and it was very slow.
You're, you're going to get inthe negative.
You don't have to pay out, soyou're just like, okay, that's
(21:07):
fine if you just not, you know,trying to drive our trucks back
and forth um to deliver.
But you know, the the mainthing was that she didn't have
drivers.
She was always asking fordrivers and I gave her plenty of
drivers that qualified, so itwas always that.
So that's the only thing thatshe was talking about drivers
(21:33):
okay.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
So then you had a driver for a week.
The truck went in the shop.
What happened after that?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
um, then I was like a couple of weeks after that, um,
she called me and she said youneed to call into the repair
shop.
She did give me a VIN numberactually that time, but the VIN
was the wrong VIN.
I called in and said I had to.
Actually, I gave the VIN andsaid that's not the right number
(22:02):
and what happened was I had togive them her name to even get
to the truck, so just to checkon the truck.
And I was checking on the truck, that's what I was doing.
And then, um, after that, we hada meeting within the forum of
(22:23):
the group and she was saying,like, um, that people were
paying on the repair, repairs ofthe, the trucks, and that, like
with mine, she'll say you owelike $7,000, you have the money.
I was like I don't have itbecause there's no truck coming
(22:44):
on the road, you didn't have adriver, it's in the pear shop
right now and now you want me topay $7,000 more to repair it.
And I was like I don't have it.
She said I'm actually takingout money for to repair these
trucks.
I'm like what you want me to do?
I don't know what I'm supposedto do because you know you're
(23:07):
not doing what you're doing forme, for as a business owner, and
actually getting the trust onthe road and get a drivers and
do what you're supposed to do solet me make sure I understand
this correctly you made a fiftythousand dollar investment into
this for a truck.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
She didn't give you a truck, she didn't give you a
driver.
She came back and she said oh,I have a truck, but I don't have
a driver.
And then that was march, andthen we have april, may, june,
july, august, september.
She comes back and says hey,you've been sitting here, I'm
gonna put a driver in my truckfor you.
(23:49):
He runs a week it breaks down,which isn't even supposed to be
your truck, and she wants you topay 7 000 now for a truck that
you don't even know where itcame from exactly.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That's weird isn't it right?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
that that is weird.
So at no point did she say youknow, so if you have a truck,
did you find it weird that shewasn't having you make payments
on this truck?
Speaker 2 (24:18):
well, I was thinking more of it's, since it's in her
name like why would I have topay for something that's in her
name?
Speaker 1 (24:26):
right?
Well, according to yourcontract, you were going to
lease it from her and accordingto her contract, the title was
going to be in her name.
But you were going to be on itwith her and the plates were
going to be in your name, sothat would mean I never got
anything in that and you neverreceived any of that no, I
didn't, but you also weren'tmaking payments.
(24:47):
So where did she tell you your$50,000 was going to go towards?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
well, $50,000 were to get the truck, which she
already had, so that was alittle weird.
Was it like a down payment?
Yeah, it was a down payment forthe truck, but she already had
a truck, so I don't and it wasfor a 2015?
2015.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Because your contract was for rent payments of
$101,000.
So you were paying $101,000 fora 2015?
.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
And for over 400,000 miles on a truck.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Did you price trucks?
Because I don't see where your$50,000 came off this price.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Because the thing I think now, looking back at it, I
think she put down like $10,000on it.
I'm not sure, but in shepocketed the worst and that's
what I think.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
So her actual where the money was going through,
that was never established.
In writing, not exactly okay,was that a red flag for you?
Speaker 2 (26:19):
I was thinking like I really wanted to work and I was
hoping that I would get thismoney coming in, but I didn't
think of it as a red flag.
You trusted her.
I didn't think about it.
Yeah flag, I didn't think aboutit pretty much you saw her.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You saw all these people following her.
You saw her on this truck andhustle and you.
You believed in what she wasselling, yeah exactly cause it
could work because like.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I'm thinking for myself, like if she had gotten a
FedEx route and put all themoney that she, she got, got a
FedEx route, put the trucks onthe FedEx route.
This is a dedicated lane.
It could have worked for me,you know, but she, she didn't
want to go that route.
So I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Well, I mean honestly the whole thing.
Um, it could have worked if youwould have had a truck and you
would have had a driver.
Um, it definitely, definitelycould have worked in your favor,
but it didn't.
So when september came and went, what happened after that?
Speaker 2 (27:26):
um, after that I just like a couple of weeks later I
text her and said I just want mymoney back.
Then she was saying well, theonly way you can get your money
back if you sell the truck orsomebody gets your package.
I'm like, how am I going tosell the truck?
It's in your name.
How is that possible?
There's no way I can do that.
So then she decided to persuademe to get another package,
(27:54):
which costs more, into a newertruck.
Right.
So I'm like, I'm just.
I'm just.
I was done after that becauseshe was telling me I was just
going to sell the truck the oldtruck from the repair shop and
give me the bulk of the money.
Old truck from the repair shopand give me the bulk of the
money and then get into the newtrucking package with a newer
(28:17):
truck.
That's what she told me.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
But that never happened.
Weren't you already in thehighest package that she had?
Yeah, at that time yes, okay,but then, all of a sudden, a
newer package popped up.
Yeah, she was trying topersuade me to do it, but I did
not.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Yes, okay, and but then, all of a sudden, a newer
package popped up.
Yeah, she was trying topersuade me to do it, but I did
not do it.
No, after that I just stoppedcontact with her.
I could not, I couldn't do itanymore.
And then what did you do?
Um, after that it was a Marcusthat called me.
He was, he was asking me ifabout her, and I was like, well,
(28:56):
I'm just tired and I want tosue her.
And he said, oh, there'sanother lady trying to sue her.
And she got a lawyer in Floridaand they gave me the
information for a lawyer orstuff like that.
And it was so much money hewanted to $5,000 just to write a
(29:17):
letter.
And I was like I don't havethat much money, I don't know
what else to do.
But back in my mind I said,like if she did this to some to
me, I know she does it tosomebody else, so that's how I
just let it go after that.
That's what I just let it goafter that.
That's when I got in contactwith Tessra and saw the post
from LinkedIn and stuff likethat.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Right yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
So did you ever receive any other correspondence
or documents from her afterthat?
Speaker 2 (29:48):
No, not after that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Any tax documents?
Nope, I did not.
Okay, and when you receivedthose two statements with those
dates on it, were there anyfunds with that, did she?
Speaker 2 (30:01):
send you any proceeds .
Just those two that you have,and that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
But she sent you the money that those reflected.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Okay, that, those reflected.
Yeah, okay, that is where.
And so now what?
Speaker 2 (30:16):
what steps have you taken to not much, because it's
so costly and because theselawyers they want so much money
for me to write a letter and doa civil case against her.
I I just didn't have the moneyto really sue her.
I had no choice but just totake the L.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Right.
Did they tell you anythingabout your contract or about
your situation, though?
When you spoke to them?
Speaker 2 (30:47):
They said I have a case, but that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Did they say what the grounds were for that case?
Um, like racial contract,breach your contract?
Yeah, and I know um some of theother investors had filed
federal charges against her.
Had you done that as well?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
yeah, I did fail charges.
I went to the police about it.
A report, a police report.
I went to the Attorney Generalin Florida as well.
So I did that.
All that you did.
Okay, okay, yes ma'am.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
So what's coming up next?
What are we?
Speaker 2 (31:25):
I'm hoping justice.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I'm hoping that nobody else gets scammed by her,
because she's been scamming somany people and it is nobody
stopping her.
I was hoping that by us goingto the FBI, that they would have
done something and see like heralert, but nothing has happened
to her.
She's still free to do whatevershe wants, is she still?
Speaker 1 (31:52):
selling the package?
Do you know if she I mean, isshe still?
Speaker 2 (31:55):
No, she's still free to do whatever.
She's still selling the package.
Do you know if she I mean, isshe still?
No, I'm, she's selling courses.
She's still doing the um cdlfor life thing, I think.
But like, how's that legal ifshe's not registered?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
I, I don't know.
That's a good question, I.
I would also advise that herllcs were all inactive.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yeah, um and then there was.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
There was a um, I I do believe I I saw a couple, uh,
civil suits myself.
Tesla said that she found eight.
Oh, I haven't verified that.
Um, I have saw three myself inNew York and Florida pertaining
to that.
And has anybody, shemaine, oranybody, reached out to you with
(32:40):
this information out besidesthe investor group?
No, nothing else.
So how has this affected yourview of the trucking industry
now?
Speaker 2 (32:54):
You got to be careful .
I should have went with my gutfeeling Like just give the
$1,000, at least it will likereally study, like people and
what they're doing Like studytheir business thoroughly.
You know it makes me think likeshould have not been a little
bit more knowledgeable about itthen this is going in on it.
(33:16):
But but it is what it is living, you learn and you do better
and how does it fight?
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I mean $50,000, that's a lot cuz we took it
alone.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
My husband took alone , no, and so, like it's like, I
had to use my credit cards justto, you know, get food and
that's there.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
So you're gonna be paying back that 50 000 for a
long time.
It's a lot yeah, that that is alot.
That is a lot.
Well, I hope you guys, you knowI I spoke to, you know I I spoke
to a group of you the other day, um of the investors that were
affected, and I know everybody'strying to work together now
(33:59):
moving forward and I hope I hopeyou guys are able to get some
kind of resolution and I hope,moving forward, um that this has
been a good learning experiencefor you guys and it serves as a
learning experience for ourviewers yeah, this be mindful.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
I mean really be mindful.
Make sure you reallyinvestigate them.
I'm to the point where I'm noteven trying to be in any type of
business, I'm just just tryingto get my education and, you
know, get a good career.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Yeah, trucking is a great industry, you know, get a
good career.
Yeah, Trucking is a greatindustry.
You know if you um aren't beingscammed, I guess I know, right,
yeah, so um, but it's anexpensive one and this was an
expensive lesson for you.
Um so I am sorry that thishappened to you, that you had
(34:51):
this experience and that itwasn't a very pleasant one, and
I hope that you know, movingforward, that it doesn't, you
know, leave too big of a blackmark and and you can still do
whatever it is that you'resetting out in life to do.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, it's just that you know people like her like
people who scam will always scam.
People like her like people whoscam will always scam.
So there's always somethingabout like her.
She could have did itlegitimately and made so much
money.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Yeah, I think it's a great.
It's got a great possibility.
You know if it was donelegitimately.
Possibility you know if it wasdone legitimately.
I think you know taking peoplewho aren't familiar with the
trucking industry and trainingthem and being very transparent
and doing it in a very legit,transparent way.
(35:44):
Um, it has potential.
It does.
So um but transparency andlegitimacy is very important,
which you did not either of, andthere's a lot of gray areas and
there was a lot of red flagsyeah, and I wish I had this said
no, and what are my guts?
Yes, yes, and I do hope, movingforward, that that you know
(36:08):
they are able to um stop thisfrom happening yeah, because
nobody deserves to have theirmoney taken.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
People work hard for that and nobody deserves that.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
You know no yeah, so is there anything else that you
would like to add that I did notcover?
I know there was a lot.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
There was a lot going on during that time period um,
during that time, um, she didgive me the free course for as
getting credit, uh, building mycredit, business, uh, because
her, her credit even though herpersonal credit was really low,
but her business credit wasawesome, that's why she can get
the houses and stuff like thatand she showed me how to do it.
(36:47):
She gave me trade lines,whatever, uh, from different
companies, um, and also me I had.
She wanted me to get like aoffice, a gym office.
That's what I did and I ran outof the office.
I got a business license andstuff like that, like it looked
really legit and you know Iwanted to make sure I get so
(37:10):
that I could get like othertrucks.
So, if you know, that's why shewas trying to build our
business, because to get othertrucks, so she'd get more money
coming in so she had okay, so Ididn't know that part, so she
had you actually establish abrick and mortar office yeah, um
, actually not.
No, I did that on my own, butshe, she gave us information on
(37:34):
how to build our credit, ourbusiness credit, and you know I
I got a.
I rented out a um buildingoffice office space, got my
business license, I made my ownwebsite.
I would make my own website.
Um, also, what else I do umtrade lines.
(37:55):
He gave us trade lines andstuff like that.
So you know, trying to, youknow buy products and stuff so
you can build our businesscredit and get more trucks from
there nice, nice.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
So I'm glad you learned that at the only the
only question that the onlyconcern I had with all that is
how were your taxes affected?
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Well, I actually put in I had got somebody
professional to do that for meand they they kind of like they
said, no, you can't have thismuch, you know as much going on.
So they adjusted it.
So, yeah, we get a pretty goodincome tax return, but it wasn't
(38:35):
much, but it was pretty, it wasdecent.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
But you were able to claim that 50,000 that you put
into the business.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Yeah, I did to a certain degree, but they still
adjusted it, so it wasn't asmuch as I thought it was going
to be.
It was up there until theyadjusted it.
They said like, no, you're notgoing to get that.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Yeah, I was wondering , with her not providing any
information, how that was goingto affect everybody's taxes for
those years.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah, I had a receipt and I gave the information to
her, all the information I had,and that's how I got at least
something back.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right, all right,
well, crystal, I appreciate youtaking the time out to tell our,
tell our story, tell your storyto our viewers.
You know I'm moving forward.
If anybody has been affected bythis, please reach out to
Crystal Young.
You can reach out to TezraScott.
(39:33):
Tezra is pretty public on herinformation.
She's on LinkedIn, she's onFacebook.
You can also reach out to us atReal Women in Trucking or me
Trucking with Tammy, and I canforward you over to the right
people.
But thank you very much forviewing this episode of trucking
with tammy crystal.
(39:53):
Thank you for joining us andeverybody.
I will see you on the next one.
Bye.
Good morning or afternoon everybody.
This is Tammy, your host ofTrucking with Tammy.
As you've read, or as I've said, we are doing a whole series
this week on investors whoclaimed that they had some bad
business dealings with ShemaineJeffers and her Truck Biz in a
Box platform.
Today we are going to speak toone of the investors, crystal
(00:24):
young, who invested about fiftythousand dollars in the truck
biz in a box program withshemaine jeffers and she's
claiming that shemaine did notdeliver what she promised.
So I'm gonna bring crystal up.
We are going to talk to crystalabout her experience, uh, and
how this played out for her.
(00:45):
So one moment while I bring herup.
Good morning, hi, crystal.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, I can hear you.
Well, welcome to Trucking withTammy podcast.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
I'm sorry to be here.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
So today.
So you are the second person togo public with your business
dealings with Shemaine Jeffers.
Yeah, yeah.
So we are going to talk abouthow you came into contact with
Shemaine and your businessdealings and how everything
(01:25):
played out for you and what thefuture is looking like.
Okay, okay, so we oh, I'm sorryGo ahead.
So you did you curious questionbefore we get started Did you
have any experience in thetrucking industry before this
(01:46):
interaction?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
I have um.
I got my, my ceo with crengland and I used to be
trucking for a little bit, butum, I decided to um stay home
and homeschool my daughter.
But um, even before that likenot before that, but like um
after that I got my llc and Iwas actually um, um had a
(02:09):
delivery, um route and I woulddeliver pharmaceutical, um
pharmaceutical drugs toretirement homes at night.
Speaker 1 (02:18):
So that's where I got my llc yeah, so you actually
had had a company called CTReliable Transportation LLC,
correct?
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 1 (02:29):
And it looks like you actually set this LLC up back
in 2019.
Yes, ma'am, OK so you youactually looks like came into
contact with Shemaine Jeffersaround 2022.
Came into contact with ShemaineJeffers around 2022?
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Yeah, that's correct.
I saw her on Truck and Hustleand I saw that she had a
wonderful business deal and Iwas like, well, I'm not going to
go in on that because it seemsso good, Because I knew a little
bit about it but I didn't knowthe back end.
So I was just looking forsomething passive for me and my
(03:10):
family.
Okay.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
And what kind of training did, did, did.
She may not offer you anytraining before the contract.
Were you looking at any of herother programs before you went
with the truck?
Speaker 2 (03:24):
visit in a box um, no , um, I just called and see
about it and my husband wetalked about it um, what I
previously was going to do waslike, just like, put my toe in
it, put like a thousand dollarsdown.
That was like the differenttiers.
He had like a thousand, fifteenthousand, thirty five and then
(03:45):
fifty, which was the top tier,and, um, like my husband's, like
no, we're not gonna do that,we're gonna go to the fifty
thousand because we don't wantto share, because you know they
had other people in there and so, um, they had to sign a
contract and all that he said,oh, that might not be reliable,
let's do the fifty thousand.
So that's pretty much whathappened at that time.
Speaker 1 (04:06):
Okay, so you were saying that at the time that you
came into contact with thetruck visit in the box their
tiers.
How many tiers did they have?
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I think it's like at least I know it's $1,000.
That's the lowest tier, okay,$15,000, and then $35,000, and
then $50,000.
Speaker 1 (04:24):
And that was the lowest tier $15,000 and then
$35,000 and then $50,000 andthat was the top tier when we
had Tezra on the show earlierthis week, she had sent us one
of the tier structuresadvertisements, and the one she
sent us, the top tier, was$15,000, which allowed you to
just be one owner.
(04:44):
You didn't have to shareownership.
So, you were saying there wastwo more tiers past that, a 35
and a 50.
So what did those tiers providethat the other ones didn't?
Speaker 2 (04:56):
Well, this is like truck, um, whatever back in they
have for us, like all theoffice work, um, so that's
pretty much it, um, and thedrivers, drivers, drivers and
(05:20):
what else.
That's all I remember.
For us.
It it's her providing the um,the for the package.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Because your contract that you sent me that I looked
over it looks pretty identicalas far as services offered as
Tezris.
Okay.
Um so I was kind of curiouswhat the difference was with the
pricing.
Um, I didn't know if it wastrucks, I didn't know exactly
what, what you were getting forthat fifty thousand dollars, uh,
(05:48):
for her uh, I think it's likeit wasn't hers in 2021, is that
correct?
Speaker 2 (05:54):
that's probably why, um, she updated her website at
that time, and so it it she kindof revised it where it got more
money.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
Restructured probably .
Yeah, okay, it might've beenthe cost of the trucks, you know
, because yeah, pretty much.
So okay.
So you, you watched all herstuff.
You talked to your husband and,without any history of the back
end of trucking, you said let'sdo this.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
Well, well for me, I for me, I had a book.
I was even if she is out of theway I wanted to learn the
business myself so that I can doit myself and have my own fleet
.
So I brought a book, I wasreading on it, you know, but
during the time frame when wewere because we were in a group
(06:46):
for us investors and during thattime frame, you know, I was
trying to learn dispatching, um,she did, uh, credit credit
reporting as well for thebusiness, and I was learning how
to do the back end office stufffor myself okay, so she was
providing training services forthat for you yeah it was okay.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Was that included with your package, or did you
have to pay for anything outsideof that?
Speaker 2 (07:15):
I didn't pay um she offered for me free.
Um I guess she she felt bad orI don't know, I'm not sure, but
but I was like, is she offeringfree?
Speaker 1 (07:25):
and so you know, I took advantage of it, you know
okay so, um, when she, when,when you approached her that you
were interested in the business, the truck is in a box um, how
much detail did she give youabout how the process was going
to work, moving forward, Wellfor her.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I asked her when is the truck going to be on the
road?
And the email that you got, shesaid it was, let me see, let me
read it.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
It looks like on February 15th.
Yeah, this is the email.
She sent me.
These emails, guys, so it lookslike, um, she had you notarize
the contract, so you reached outto her and did you.
Before you signed the contract,before you asked about the
delivery, how much of aconversation was there about
(08:22):
what she was going to do for you?
Speaker 2 (08:25):
What she told me was weekly.
What they grossed was $2,000.
That's the low end Between$3,000 a week.
And so I thought, oh, that'sawesome and stuff like that.
And we talked to one of herinvestors and she said she was
doing great um for us gettingweekly settlement payments and
(08:50):
we didn't really discuss toomuch.
But more of you know this,getting somebody in talking to
us um saying how much they getpaid, we're actually um where
the truck might be, because shealready had the trucks already.
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Okay so that's my question.
She said she already had trucks.
Were these her trucks that sheowned, or did she advise that
she was leasing these?
What did she tell you aboutwhere these trucks came from?
Speaker 2 (09:22):
She said she already owned it.
It's in her name name, but it'slike we had to pay payments on
it and the trailers is rented,so we had to pay payments on
that as well, and that will comeout of the settlement okay, so
you were under the understandingthat she owned trucks.
Speaker 1 (09:38):
You were going to be buying those trucks from her.
You guys were going to berenting trailers from a third
party.
She was going to be coming beproviding drivers and she would
be sending you a weeklysettlement statement.
Yes, ma'am, and this is all theconversation that you had prior
to signing the contract yes,ma'am okay, and then she sent
you this contract, which ispretty thick, so I'm not going
(09:59):
to go over and I read the wholething before.
I even signed.
I read the whole thing.
So you had to get it notarized.
So did you seek legal counselto go over the contract before
you signed it?
Speaker 2 (10:16):
I did not.
That was my problem.
I did not.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Did the person that did the notary have anything to
say about the blank pages wherethere was zero information
filled up?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
No.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Okay, because that to me is a red flag when you have
to sign it and notarize it.
Normally a lawyer or notary inmy past experiences have always
um, had you put something inthere, um, maybe to be
determined or so forth, um, butthat that wasn't so.
Speaker 2 (10:54):
I wasn't curious if that was a red flag or what her
explanation for that was well, Iwas assuming this was my mind,
excuse me, um, this was in mymind that, even though she
advertised and said that yourname, your business name, is
going to be on the truck, I wasassuming that she interchanged
the trucks from differentinvestors.
(11:14):
That's what my mind was, okay.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
But that's not what the terms of the contract were
right, yeah, exactly.
Okay, so you were supposed tobe getting a check from her.
So part of the when you signedthis contract, part of the
responsibilities was setting upthe LLC which you already had.
So it also said the equipmentwould be assigned to you and you
(11:42):
would.
The plates would be in yourname.
Did you get any paperworkshowing that the plates were in
your name?
Speaker 2 (11:50):
no, because everything was in her name.
I you know that's what she wassaying.
There's nothing in my name, inmy business name at all.
Speaker 1 (11:59):
No, so she was supposed to be setting up and
managing your trucking businessbut you're saying there wasn't
actual a trucking business setup.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
I just feel like, um, there was no truck, and then
she was always complaining thatthere was no driver, um, but the
thing is for me, I'm proactive,so with me I'm advertising on
different platforms to get adriver.
Speaker 1 (12:27):
So let's go back, because before you have a driver
, you have to have a truck.
Yeah, so.
So she told you she had truckson her lot, she already owned
trucks, and you did end upsending me two statements that
you got.
So when did the truck pop up?
When did you get the truck?
Speaker 2 (12:47):
um, I believe between it might have been in march,
but she didn't have a driverokay, but let's start with the
truck.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
Did she send you VIN numbers?
Did she send you any paperworkof the truck that you were going
to have any information aboutit?
None, no.
Mileage Year.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Nothing, but the thing she did say it was a 2015
fake liner and that was it.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Okay.
Do you have the email or thecorrespondence with that, or was
it a phone call?
It was a phone call.
It was a phone call, okay, soshe never filled out this
information that she had in thecontract.
Speaker 2 (13:27):
Actually, actually, it wasn't even a phone call.
It was actually in the formthat we are, in all, the
investors in so they had a listof yeah, yeah, it forum that we
are and all the investors in sothey had a list of yeah, yeah,
it was a head of list of all theinvestors, and then she
assigned a different um truck toyou.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Okay, okay, so you got.
She said you got a 2015, butyou you didn't have any
paperwork of that.
Okay, and then your nextobstacle was needing a driver.
Yes, okay, and how did that go?
She's obstacle was needing adriver.
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Yes, okay, and how did that go?
She's always asking for adriver in the forum.
She's like I need a driver, Ineed a driver.
I mean, she had meetings aboutthat and everything but for me-.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
It's an industry-wide problem.
Speaker 2 (14:10):
It is For me.
I'm proactive.
So I actually became a memberof the national association
small trucking companies and umI.
I got a membership from there,um, and also a driving.
I was under the driverrecruiting program.
I had to pay for that too.
So these people um that they'rerecruiting, they're sitting to
(14:33):
me and so they have two yearsexperience, no infractions,
nothing.
So I'm sitting her 30 over 30drivers that are qualified, but
she said, no, I don't have anydrivers.
So I don't understand.
I'm advertising, I'm doing whatI'm supposed to do on my end,
(14:56):
but why can't you do what you'resupposed to do on your end?
Speaker 1 (14:59):
right, so you got the truck, yeah, so you waited for
the truck and now you have thistruck and she's saying but
there's no driver.
So once she assigned the truck,are you having to make truck
payments?
Speaker 2 (15:10):
no, I didn't make any truck payments or anything,
because, okay, I don't know, shejust I guess it came out her
bank account, I don't know, butI wasn't making any payments so
at this point it's just the theinitial $50,000 that you sent
her and okay so how much timewent so your contract was signed
on February 15th um and youryour funds sent in sorry 17th.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
You signed the contract.
You sent in your $50,000 onFebruary 15th, though when you
think it was about March thatyou got the truck.
When did she tell you she had adriver?
Speaker 2 (15:50):
It wasn't like you see those statements.
It says September timeframe,but it was her truck and her
driver.
I mean, she said I give you thebest truck.
It's my truck and my driver, solet me go ahead and September
time frame and it only lasted aweek and broke down for a week.
Speaker 1 (16:11):
Okay, what do you mean?
Her truck and her driver.
Speaker 2 (16:14):
Meaning like that's how well, that's how she said it
.
Like I just said that I didn'thave a truck like in my name.
It was in her name, so she wassaying it's you know, I get the
best, the best truck and my bestdriver.
So I don't get what she wassaying there because it's in her
name, it's her truck, right,and her drivers and employees.
(16:38):
So it broke down and it was inthe repair shop.
Speaker 1 (16:45):
That's even the thing that we're hearing a lot right
off the bat.
So everybody says the samething.
So it ran for two weeks.
Was it two weeks?
You gave me two statements,statements so I wasn't quite
sure there was, there was, wasit?
two statements, let me let me goto statements yeah, so, um,
that would have been two weeksright I thought it was a week,
(17:08):
but it might have been two weeksuh, is it one statement per
week or?
Um, yeah, yeah, okay, so yousent me.
Well, they're both.
Let's see here.
I'm bear with me, guys, while Ipull up this statement here.
Um, we have, looks like, paystatement for february 4th 2022.
(17:31):
Three pages long, and then May20th 2022.
May 20th.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
I didn't have anything in May.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
So what?
The statements you sent me, thestatements you sent me.
Why did you put it in May?
So yeah, so the statements yousent me, the statements you sent
me.
Why did she put it in May?
Because it was a September?
Well, I'm curious, because thefirst pay statement that she
sent you is dated February 4thand that was before you signed
(18:12):
your contract with her.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
Did you not notice that I?
Speaker 1 (18:21):
didn't?
That's a great question.
That is a great question.
So the first statement, if youwould pull up the email you sent
me, Okay, let me see.
Speaker 2 (18:34):
Actually I can find it.
It's in here somewhere.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
So it says pay statement date May 20th and the
dates of the trips are in May.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
No, that was in September.
No, that's no possible way.
That's what's on here, butthat's not right.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
It was September, I'm afraid the first one was dated
February 4th for runs that wasdone, runs that were done
January 26th and February 1st,which was before you signed your
(19:14):
contract.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Yes, the dates are lying.
Yes, it's September.
It was one week.
What the world?
I didn't even have anyattention to that.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
Thank you for doing that.
You're welcome.
Yeah, but in your records whenshe messaged you, the truck
actually only ran when.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
It was at the end of September of 2022.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
That last week, and it broke down and can you pull
up in your email when she sentyou these statements?
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Oh, I hope I got it.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
Do you still have access to that?
I wasn't quite sure.
Paper trail is very importantwith what you're going through
right now.
So, yeah, I found thatinteresting.
That's why I printed these outtoday, because um dates are very
important dates are veryimportant.
Speaker 2 (20:17):
See if I find it still so while you're doing that
?
Speaker 1 (20:22):
so you were saying she told you in March she had a
truck, but then she didn't havea driver until September, and
then she ran them for one weekand then told you the truck
broke down.
Yes, that is crazy.
So all this time from she ranthem for one week and then told
you the truck broke down.
Yes, that is crazy.
So all this time from March toSeptember.
What was she saying?
What was her excuse?
Speaker 2 (20:44):
She was saying that the, the um, everything for as
back back then it was low and sothey didn't.
She didn't have drivers.
She was still looking fordrivers and it was very slow.
You're, you're going to get inthe negative.
You don't have to pay out, soyou're just like, okay, that's
(21:07):
fine if you just not, you know,trying to drive our trucks back
and forth um to deliver.
But you know, the the mainthing was that she didn't have
drivers.
She was always asking fordrivers and I gave her plenty of
drivers that qualified, so itwas always that.
So that's the only thing thatshe was talking about drivers
(21:33):
okay.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
So then you had a driver for a week.
The truck went in the shop.
What happened after that?
Speaker 2 (21:40):
um, then I was like a couple of weeks after that, um,
she called me and she said youneed to call into the repair
shop.
She did give me a VIN numberactually that time, but the VIN
was the wrong VIN.
I called in and said I had to.
Actually, I gave the VIN andsaid that's not the right number
(22:02):
and what happened was I had togive them her name to even get
to the truck, so just to checkon the truck.
And I was checking on the truck, that's what I was doing.
And then, um, after that, we hada meeting within the forum of
(22:23):
the group and she was saying,like, um, that people were
paying on the repair, repairs ofthe, the trucks, and that, like
with mine, she'll say you owelike $7,000, you have the money.
I was like I don't have itbecause there's no truck coming
(22:44):
on the road, you didn't have adriver, it's in the pear shop
right now and now you want me topay $7,000 more to repair it.
And I was like I don't have it.
She said I'm actually takingout money for to repair these
trucks.
I'm like what you want me to do?
I don't know what I'm supposedto do because you know you're
(23:07):
not doing what you're doing forme, for as a business owner, and
actually getting the trust onthe road and get a drivers and
do what you're supposed to do solet me make sure I understand
this correctly you made a fiftythousand dollar investment into
this for a truck.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
She didn't give you a truck, she didn't give you a
driver.
She came back and she said oh,I have a truck, but I don't have
a driver.
And then that was march, andthen we have april, may, june,
july, august, september.
She comes back and says hey,you've been sitting here, I'm
gonna put a driver in my truckfor you.
(23:49):
He runs a week it breaks down,which isn't even supposed to be
your truck, and she wants you topay 7 000 now for a truck that
you don't even know where itcame from exactly.
Speaker 2 (24:03):
That's weird isn't it right?
Speaker 1 (24:06):
that that is weird.
So at no point did she say youknow, so if you have a truck,
did you find it weird that shewasn't having you make payments
on this truck?
Speaker 2 (24:18):
well, I was thinking more of it's, since it's in her
name like why would I have topay for something that's in her
name?
Speaker 1 (24:26):
right?
Well, according to yourcontract, you were going to
lease it from her and accordingto her contract, the title was
going to be in her name.
But you were going to be on itwith her and the plates were
going to be in your name, sothat would mean I never got
anything in that and you neverreceived any of that no, I
didn't, but you also weren'tmaking payments.
(24:47):
So where did she tell you your$50,000 was going to go towards?
Speaker 2 (24:52):
well, $50,000 were to get the truck, which she
already had, so that was alittle weird.
Was it like a down payment?
Yeah, it was a down payment forthe truck, but she already had
a truck, so I don't and it wasfor a 2015?
2015.
Speaker 1 (25:18):
Because your contract was for rent payments of
$101,000.
So you were paying $101,000 fora 2015?
.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
And for over 400,000 miles on a truck.
Speaker 1 (25:42):
Did you price trucks?
Because I don't see where your$50,000 came off this price.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
Because the thing I think now, looking back at it, I
think she put down like $10,000on it.
I'm not sure, but in shepocketed the worst and that's
what I think.
Speaker 1 (26:05):
So her actual where the money was going through,
that was never established.
In writing, not exactly okay,was that a red flag for you?
Speaker 2 (26:19):
I was thinking like I really wanted to work and I was
hoping that I would get thismoney coming in, but I didn't
think of it as a red flag.
You trusted her.
I didn't think about it.
Yeah flag, I didn't think aboutit pretty much you saw her.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
You saw all these people following her.
You saw her on this truck andhustle and you.
You believed in what she wasselling, yeah exactly cause it
could work because like.
Speaker 2 (26:48):
I'm thinking for myself, like if she had gotten a
FedEx route and put all themoney that she, she got, got a
FedEx route, put the trucks onthe FedEx route.
This is a dedicated lane.
It could have worked for me,you know, but she, she didn't
want to go that route.
So I don't know.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Well, I mean honestly the whole thing.
Um, it could have worked if youwould have had a truck and you
would have had a driver.
Um, it definitely, definitelycould have worked in your favor,
but it didn't.
So when september came and went, what happened after that?
Speaker 2 (27:26):
um, after that I just like a couple of weeks later I
text her and said I just want mymoney back.
Then she was saying well, theonly way you can get your money
back if you sell the truck orsomebody gets your package.
I'm like, how am I going tosell the truck?
It's in your name.
How is that possible?
There's no way I can do that.
So then she decided to persuademe to get another package,
(27:54):
which costs more, into a newertruck.
Right.
So I'm like, I'm just.
I'm just.
I was done after that becauseshe was telling me I was just
going to sell the truck the oldtruck from the repair shop and
give me the bulk of the money.
Old truck from the repair shopand give me the bulk of the
money and then get into the newtrucking package with a newer
(28:17):
truck.
That's what she told me.
Speaker 1 (28:20):
But that never happened.
Weren't you already in thehighest package that she had?
Yeah, at that time yes, okay,but then, all of a sudden, a
newer package popped up.
Yeah, she was trying topersuade me to do it, but I did
not.
Speaker 2 (28:33):
Yes, okay, and but then, all of a sudden, a newer
package popped up.
Yeah, she was trying topersuade me to do it, but I did
not do it.
No, after that I just stoppedcontact with her.
I could not, I couldn't do itanymore.
And then what did you do?
Um, after that it was a Marcusthat called me.
He was, he was asking me ifabout her, and I was like, well,
(28:56):
I'm just tired and I want tosue her.
And he said, oh, there'sanother lady trying to sue her.
And she got a lawyer in Floridaand they gave me the
information for a lawyer orstuff like that.
And it was so much money hewanted to $5,000 just to write a
(29:17):
letter.
And I was like I don't havethat much money, I don't know
what else to do.
But back in my mind I said,like if she did this to some to
me, I know she does it tosomebody else, so that's how I
just let it go after that.
That's what I just let it goafter that.
That's when I got in contactwith Tessra and saw the post
from LinkedIn and stuff likethat.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Right.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Right yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
So did you ever receive any other correspondence
or documents from her afterthat?
Speaker 2 (29:48):
No, not after that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Any tax documents?
Nope, I did not.
Okay, and when you receivedthose two statements with those
dates on it, were there anyfunds with that, did she?
Speaker 2 (30:01):
send you any proceeds .
Just those two that you have,and that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
But she sent you the money that those reflected.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (30:11):
Okay, that, those reflected.
Yeah, okay, that is where.
And so now what?
Speaker 2 (30:16):
what steps have you taken to not much, because it's
so costly and because theselawyers they want so much money
for me to write a letter and doa civil case against her.
I I just didn't have the moneyto really sue her.
I had no choice but just totake the L.
Speaker 1 (30:40):
Right.
Did they tell you anythingabout your contract or about
your situation, though?
When you spoke to them?
Speaker 2 (30:47):
They said I have a case, but that's pretty much it.
Speaker 1 (30:51):
Did they say what the grounds were for that case?
Um, like racial contract,breach your contract?
Yeah, and I know um some of theother investors had filed
federal charges against her.
Had you done that as well?
Speaker 2 (31:06):
yeah, I did fail charges.
I went to the police about it.
A report, a police report.
I went to the Attorney Generalin Florida as well.
So I did that.
All that you did.
Okay, okay, yes ma'am.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
So what's coming up next?
What are we?
Speaker 2 (31:25):
I'm hoping justice.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Right right.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
I'm hoping that nobody else gets scammed by her,
because she's been scamming somany people and it is nobody
stopping her.
I was hoping that by us goingto the FBI, that they would have
done something and see like heralert, but nothing has happened
to her.
She's still free to do whatevershe wants, is she still?
Speaker 1 (31:52):
selling the package?
Do you know if she I mean, isshe still?
Speaker 2 (31:55):
No, she's still free to do whatever.
She's still selling the package.
Do you know if she I mean, isshe still?
No, I'm, she's selling courses.
She's still doing the um cdlfor life thing, I think.
But like, how's that legal ifshe's not registered?
Speaker 1 (32:09):
I, I don't know.
That's a good question, I.
I would also advise that herllcs were all inactive.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yeah, um and then there was.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
There was a um, I I do believe I I saw a couple, uh,
civil suits myself.
Tesla said that she found eight.
Oh, I haven't verified that.
Um, I have saw three myself inNew York and Florida pertaining
to that.
And has anybody, shemaine, oranybody, reached out to you with
(32:40):
this information out besidesthe investor group?
No, nothing else.
So how has this affected yourview of the trucking industry
now?
Speaker 2 (32:54):
You got to be careful .
I should have went with my gutfeeling Like just give the
$1,000, at least it will likereally study, like people and
what they're doing Like studytheir business thoroughly.
You know it makes me think likeshould have not been a little
bit more knowledgeable about itthen this is going in on it.
(33:16):
But but it is what it is living, you learn and you do better
and how does it fight?
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I mean $50,000, that's a lot cuz we took it
alone.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
My husband took alone , no, and so, like it's like, I
had to use my credit cards justto, you know, get food and
that's there.
Speaker 1 (33:39):
So you're gonna be paying back that 50 000 for a
long time.
It's a lot yeah, that that is alot.
That is a lot.
Well, I hope you guys, you knowI I spoke to, you know I I spoke
to a group of you the other day, um of the investors that were
affected, and I know everybody'strying to work together now
(33:59):
moving forward and I hope I hopeyou guys are able to get some
kind of resolution and I hope,moving forward, um that this has
been a good learning experiencefor you guys and it serves as a
learning experience for ourviewers yeah, this be mindful.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
I mean really be mindful.
Make sure you reallyinvestigate them.
I'm to the point where I'm noteven trying to be in any type of
business, I'm just just tryingto get my education and, you
know, get a good career.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Yeah, trucking is a great industry, you know, get a
good career.
Yeah, Trucking is a greatindustry.
You know if you um aren't beingscammed, I guess I know, right,
yeah, so um, but it's anexpensive one and this was an
expensive lesson for you.
Um so I am sorry that thishappened to you, that you had
(34:51):
this experience and that itwasn't a very pleasant one, and
I hope that you know, movingforward, that it doesn't, you
know, leave too big of a blackmark and and you can still do
whatever it is that you'resetting out in life to do.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
Yeah, it's just that you know people like her like
people who scam will always scam.
People like her like people whoscam will always scam.
So there's always somethingabout like her.
She could have did itlegitimately and made so much
money.
Speaker 1 (35:22):
Yeah, I think it's a great.
It's got a great possibility.
You know if it was donelegitimately.
Possibility you know if it wasdone legitimately.
I think you know taking peoplewho aren't familiar with the
trucking industry and trainingthem and being very transparent
and doing it in a very legit,transparent way.
(35:44):
Um, it has potential.
It does.
So um but transparency andlegitimacy is very important,
which you did not either of, andthere's a lot of gray areas and
there was a lot of red flagsyeah, and I wish I had this said
no, and what are my guts?
Yes, yes, and I do hope, movingforward, that that you know
(36:08):
they are able to um stop thisfrom happening yeah, because
nobody deserves to have theirmoney taken.
Speaker 2 (36:15):
People work hard for that and nobody deserves that.
Speaker 1 (36:19):
You know no yeah, so is there anything else that you
would like to add that I did notcover?
I know there was a lot.
Speaker 2 (36:26):
There was a lot going on during that time period um,
during that time, um, she didgive me the free course for as
getting credit, uh, building mycredit, business, uh, because
her, her credit even though herpersonal credit was really low,
but her business credit wasawesome, that's why she can get
the houses and stuff like thatand she showed me how to do it.
(36:47):
She gave me trade lines,whatever, uh, from different
companies, um, and also me I had.
She wanted me to get like aoffice, a gym office.
That's what I did and I ran outof the office.
I got a business license andstuff like that, like it looked
really legit and you know Iwanted to make sure I get so
(37:10):
that I could get like othertrucks.
So, if you know, that's why shewas trying to build our
business, because to get othertrucks, so she'd get more money
coming in so she had okay, so Ididn't know that part, so she
had you actually establish abrick and mortar office yeah, um
, actually not.
No, I did that on my own, butshe, she gave us information on
(37:34):
how to build our credit, ourbusiness credit, and you know I
I got a.
I rented out a um buildingoffice office space, got my
business license, I made my ownwebsite.
I would make my own website.
Um, also, what else I do umtrade lines.
(37:55):
He gave us trade lines andstuff like that.
So you know, trying to, youknow buy products and stuff so
you can build our businesscredit and get more trucks from
there nice, nice.
Speaker 1 (38:05):
So I'm glad you learned that at the only the
only question that the onlyconcern I had with all that is
how were your taxes affected?
Speaker 2 (38:14):
Well, I actually put in I had got somebody
professional to do that for meand they they kind of like they
said, no, you can't have thismuch, you know as much going on.
So they adjusted it.
So, yeah, we get a pretty goodincome tax return, but it wasn't
(38:35):
much, but it was pretty, it wasdecent.
Speaker 1 (38:38):
But you were able to claim that 50,000 that you put
into the business.
Speaker 2 (38:43):
Yeah, I did to a certain degree, but they still
adjusted it, so it wasn't asmuch as I thought it was going
to be.
It was up there until theyadjusted it.
They said like, no, you're notgoing to get that.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Yeah, I was wondering , with her not providing any
information, how that was goingto affect everybody's taxes for
those years.
Speaker 2 (39:03):
Yeah, I had a receipt and I gave the information to
her, all the information I had,and that's how I got at least
something back.
Speaker 1 (39:12):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, right, all right,
well, crystal, I appreciate youtaking the time out to tell our,
tell our story, tell your storyto our viewers.
You know I'm moving forward.
If anybody has been affected bythis, please reach out to
Crystal Young.
You can reach out to TezraScott.
(39:33):
Tezra is pretty public on herinformation.
She's on LinkedIn, she's onFacebook.
You can also reach out to us atReal Women in Trucking or me
Trucking with Tammy, and I canforward you over to the right
people.
But thank you very much forviewing this episode of trucking
with tammy crystal.
(39:53):
Thank you for joining us andeverybody.
I will see you on the next one.
Bye.
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