HOUSTON – A man accused of repeatedly targeting grieving families with funeral fraud is headed back to prison and one woman says he manipulated her just days after losing her father.
Harris County Precinct 1 Constable Alan Rosen says Javian Major’s probation was revoked after repeated violations. Major was originally arrested on a forgery charge in 2024 after scheming grieving families out of funeral services. Last week, he was sentenced to two years in prison after being found to have an illegal drug and for providing funeral services not approved by the court.
KPRC 2 News reporter Corley Peel spoke with one of the families Major allegedly targeted and has been following Major’s activities for more than a year.
Shauntayvia Banks learned her father passed away in a Beaumont prison on Thanksgiving Day 2025. Shortly after posting about his death on Instagram, she says Major sent her a direct message portraying himself as a funeral home director.
“He presented me funeral home packages that he could provide. He also made it seem as though he was incarcerated with my father — that he knew my father,” Banks said.
Banks says her concerns grew quickly. Her family was repeatedly denied requests to view her father’s body, which she suspected was improperly embalmed. Jewelry went missing. Payments and cremation arrangements were unclear. Ultimately, Banks says she paid about $5,600.
Today, she is not even sure the ashes she received belong to her father.
“It’s very hard to even know if it is, in fact, my dad’s ashes — just based upon how everything went,” Banks said.
Court records show Major was not supposed to be involved in any type of funeral work following his 2024 forgery arrest. Despite that restriction, investigators say he continued targeting families.
Banks is hoping her story serves as a warning to others and encourages anyone who dealt with Major to speak up.
“If anyone else has experienced something with him, that they do come forward and feel safe coming forward,” Banks said.
Banks says she does not feel two years in prison is long enough.
Experts recommend several steps to protect yourself from funeral fraud. Consumers can verify whether a funeral home is licensed through the Texas Funeral Service Commission website. Additional precautions include searching for complaints online, asking for a detailed General Price List upfront and being cautious of businesses that refuse to provide licensing information, lack a physical address or request large payments without documentation.
Constable Alan Rosen’s office is asking anyone who believes they may have been a victim of Major to contact them at (713) 755-5200