Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Federal Racketeering Conspiracy Tied to Forced Labor of Agricultural Workers

A Mexican national has pleaded guilty in federal court in Tampa to participating in a racketeering conspiracy that exploited migrant farm workers across multiple states in the southeastern United States, concluding another phase of a years-long federal human trafficking investigation tied to the agricultural labor system.

Alexander Villatoro Moreno, 53, also known as “Quichi,” admitted in court to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). Federal prosecutors say the scheme targeted Mexican nationals who had entered the United States under the H-2A temporary agricultural worker visa program and then subjected them to coercive labor conditions once they arrived.

The case stems from a federal indictment that charged multiple defendants with operating a labor contracting business that functioned as a criminal enterprise while exploiting migrant workers between 2015 and 2017.

According to court records and federal investigators, Villatoro Moreno and several co-defendants operated Los Villatoros Harvesting, a farm labor contracting company that placed workers in agricultural operations across Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. The workers harvested fruits, vegetables, and other crops across the region.

Prosecutors said the enterprise recruited Mexican nationals under the promise of lawful agricultural employment through the H-2A visa system. That visa category allows U.S. agricultural employers to bring foreign nationals into the country temporarily when domestic labor shortages exist.

Federal investigators say the workers were recruited through deceptive practices and were misled about wages, working conditions, housing, and reimbursement for travel expenses required to secure employment.

According to the government, once the workers arrived in the United States they were subjected to harsh labor conditions that violated both federal labor laws and the terms under which the visas had been issued.

Authorities said the victims were forced to work long hours performing physically demanding agricultural labor six to seven days per week while receiving far less compensation than they had been promised.

Investigators described a system designed to maintain control over the workers and prevent them from leaving the operation.

Prosecutors said Villatoro Moreno and others imposed large recruitment debts on workers and confiscated passports and identification documents shortly after their arrival in the United States.

Federal authorities also described living conditions where workers were placed in crowded and unsanitary housing that investigators characterized as degrading and unsafe.

According to court filings, workers were frequently subjected to verbal abuse and humiliation while being warned that attempts to leave or complain could result in arrest, imprisonment, or deportation.

Investigators also reported that workers were isolated from outside contact and restricted from interacting with individuals other than employees associated with the labor contracting company.

In some cases, prosecutors said workers were threatened with harm against their family members living in Mexico if they refused to continue working under the conditions imposed by the operation.

The racketeering conspiracy also included attempts to conceal the labor violations from federal authorities once investigators began examining the operation.

According to prosecutors, Villatoro Moreno participated in efforts to obstruct the investigation by helping prepare falsified payroll documents designed to make it appear that workers were receiving the wages required under federal law.

Authorities also said fake reimbursement receipts were distributed to workers in an attempt to create the appearance that travel expenses and recruitment fees had been repaid.

Four co-defendants had already pleaded guilty in connection with the scheme before Villatoro Moreno’s plea.

Bladimir Moreno, the owner of Los Villatoros Harvesting and brother of Alexander Villatoro Moreno, pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to violate the RICO Act and conspiracy to commit forced labor. A federal court later sentenced him to 118 months in prison and ordered more than $175,000 in restitution to the victims.

Other supervisors connected to the labor contracting company also pleaded guilty in the case.

Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez admitted to participating in the racketeering conspiracy and received prison sentences of 41 months and 37 months respectively. Another supervisor, Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct a federal investigation and was sentenced to eight months of home detention along with a financial penalty.

Federal investigators say the case demonstrates how criminal organizations can exploit temporary worker visa systems to operate forced labor networks under the appearance of legitimate employment.

The investigation was conducted by the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Additional assistance came from the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State, and several legal advocacy organizations focused on migrant farmworker rights.

Authorities also confirmed that the government of Mexico assisted in the case, including support from the Fiscalía General de la República during the extradition process that allowed Villatoro Moreno to be returned to the United States to face federal charges.

The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Mexican law enforcement to secure his arrest and transfer to U.S. custody.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Justice Department’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section. Former Trial Attorney Maryan Zhuravitsky, now serving as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Maryland, also participated in the prosecution.

The guilty plea marks another step in the dismantling of a labor trafficking operation that investigators say exploited migrant workers across several states.

Sentencing proceedings for Villatoro Moreno will take place at a later date in federal court.

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