A Houston man who passed himself off as a funeral home director, drawing a string of complaints from grieving families, is now headed to prison. Javion Major has been sentenced to two years in state jail for violating his probation, the maximum punishment available in the case. The sentence marks a sharp turn for a man who, until now, had largely avoided serving time despite the accusations against him.
The case has its roots in an earlier conviction. Last year, Major pleaded guilty to forgery and received probation, in the form of a two-year deferred adjudication, as part of a plea agreement. To many observers, that outcome looked like a lenient deal for someone whose conduct had already caused so much distress, a sweetheart arrangement that kept him out of jail at the time.
The terms of that probation were clear, but according to the account, Major did not abide by them. He violated his probation by continuing to work in the funeral industry, acting as a funeral director when he had no business doing so. Carrying on in the very role tied to his troubles became the central reason his probation was revoked.
Behind the legal terms were real families. Several people accused Major of mishandling their loved ones' remains while he was pretending to be a funeral home director. Those complaints proved to be persistent and repetitive, with affected families raising the alarm again and again that he was presenting himself as a funeral director when he was not authorized to do so.
Eventually, the court decided it had seen enough. After repeated reports that Major was conducting funerals when he was not supposed to, a visiting judge, Vanessa Velasquez, handed down the maximum sentence of two years in state jail. The decision reflected a conclusion that the pattern of behavior could no longer be met with leniency.
Major's legal troubles extend beyond Texas. According to the account, he also picked up a conviction in Louisiana, adding to a record built around misrepresenting himself as a funeral director and the nefarious practices that came with it. He is also said to be under investigation for other charges, leaving open the possibility of further legal consequences while he is incarcerated.
For the families who came forward, the sentence brings a measure of accountability after a long stretch of frustration. What had been described as a sweetheart deal gave way to prison time once the violations mounted, and for at least the next two years, the man at the center of the complaints will be behind bars rather than working in the funeral industry.