A farm labor contractor accused of exploiting migrant agricultural workers in the United States has pleaded guilty in federal court to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. Alexander Villatoro Moreno, 53, also known as “Quichi,” entered the guilty plea in Tampa, Florida, in connection with a scheme that forced Mexican H-2A workers to perform demanding agricultural labor under abusive conditions.
Federal prosecutors said the case involved a criminal enterprise that targeted foreign workers who entered the United States on temporary agricultural visas. The charges were brought under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act following an investigation into a labor contracting company that recruited and managed farmworkers across multiple states.
The case stems from a six-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Middle District of Florida. Prosecutors alleged that Villatoro Moreno and several co-defendants carried out a conspiracy that victimized agricultural workers between 2015 and 2017.
Fraudulent Recruitment and Exploitative Working Conditions
According to court documents, Villatoro Moreno and his co-conspirators operated a farm labor contracting company called Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH). Authorities say the company functioned as a criminal enterprise that compelled workers to labor on farms in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina.
Federal grand jury indicts three Mexican nationals in alleged forced labor scheme using H-2A visas
Investigators said the defendants recruited Mexican nationals to travel to the United States through the H-2A visa program, which allows foreign workers to perform seasonal agricultural work. Prosecutors allege the workers were misled during the recruitment process and that fraudulent information was provided to U.S. authorities in order to secure the visas.
Once the workers arrived in the United States, they were reportedly charged extremely high recruitment fees and were given false promises about wages, working hours, and living conditions. According to prosecutors, the victims were required to perform physically demanding agricultural labor harvesting fruits, vegetables, and other crops.
Workers were allegedly required to work long hours, often six to seven days per week, while receiving far less pay than required under U.S. labor laws.
Court records also describe multiple coercive tactics used to control the workers. Prosecutors said the defendants imposed debts on workers, confiscated their passports, and housed them in crowded and unsanitary living conditions.
Victims were also allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and humiliation. In some cases, workers were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, or deportation if they refused to comply with the demands of the labor contractors.
Authorities said the workers were also isolated and prevented from interacting with people outside the company. Some were reportedly threatened that harm could come to family members in Mexico if they attempted to leave or report the conditions.
Europe moves to cut reliance on Visa and Mastercard amid payment security risks
Obstruction of Investigation and Co-Defendants Sentenced
Prosecutors said Villatoro Moreno also attempted to obstruct the federal investigation once authorities began examining the company’s activities.
According to investigators, he helped create false payroll records designed to hide the fact that workers had been underpaid. Authorities also said fake reimbursement receipts were distributed to workers to create the appearance that the company had reimbursed travel expenses as required under federal law.
Several other defendants connected to the case have already pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme.
Bladimir Moreno, Villatoro Moreno’s brother and the owner of Los Villatoros Harvesting, pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. He was later sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $175,000 in restitution to the victims.
Two company supervisors, Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act. Rodas was sentenced to 41 months in prison, while Gamez received a 37-month sentence.
Another supervisor, Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation. Mendoza was sentenced in 2022 to eight months of home detention and ordered to pay a $5,500 fine during a period of supervised release.
Multi-Agency Investigation and International Cooperation
The investigation was conducted by the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force. The task force includes several agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.
Additional assistance was provided by the Department of Labor’s Office of the Inspector General and the Wage and Hour Division, as well as the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service.
$800 billion market drop follows cartel unrest that disrupts US-Mexico trade
Several organizations that work with migrant farmworkers also contributed to the case, including the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Colorado Legal Services Migrant Farm Worker Division, Legal Aid Services of Oregon Farmworker Program, and Indiana Legal Services Worker Rights and Protection Project.
Authorities also credited the Government of Mexico with providing key assistance during the investigation. Mexico’s federal prosecutor’s office worked with U.S. officials to secure Villatoro Moreno’s arrest and extradition to the United States.