Villatoro Moreno and the others allegedly confiscated the workers’ passports to prevent them from leaving, threatened their families in Mexico, and used the fear of arrest or deportation to maintain control.

Villatoro Moreno and the others allegedly confiscated the workers’ passports to prevent them from leaving, threatened their families in Mexico, and used the fear of arrest or deportation to maintain control.

Alexander Villatoro Moreno, 53, known as “Quichi,” made his first appearance in federal court on Friday after being apprehended and extradited from Mexico to the United States. He faces four federal charges tied to what prosecutors describe as a multi-year labor trafficking operation that exploited Mexican agricultural workers.

The charges include conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit forced labor, conspiracy to obstruct federal proceedings, and one count of forced labor. Authorities allege these crimes occurred between September 2015 and December 2017.

Prosecutors say Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants recruited Mexican nationals to legally enter the United States on H-2A agricultural visas through false promises of fair wages, reasonable working hours, and reimbursement for recruitment-related expenses. Investigators allege the defendants knowingly misrepresented these conditions and misled federal authorities to secure valid visas for the workers.

Once the workers arrived in the United States, the indictment claims they were forced into long hours of strenuous agricultural labor and were paid well below legal wage requirements. Villatoro Moreno and the others allegedly confiscated the workers’ passports to prevent them from leaving, threatened their families in Mexico, and used the fear of arrest or deportation to maintain control.

When federal investigators began scrutinizing the operation, Villatoro Moreno allegedly distributed fake reimbursement receipts to create the false impression that Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), the labor contracting business he helped manage, had properly reimbursed workers for travel expenses.

All four of Villatoro Moreno’s co-defendants have already pleaded guilty for their involvement in the scheme. His brother, Bladimir Moreno, the owner of LVH, pleaded guilty in 2022 to RICO conspiracy and forced labor conspiracy. He was sentenced to 118 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $175,000 in restitution to the victims.

Two LVH supervisors, Efrain Cabrera Rodas and Christina Gamez, also pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and received sentences of 41 months and 37 months, respectively.

Another supervisor, Guadalupe Mendes Mendoza, pleaded guilty to conspiring to obstruct a federal investigation and was sentenced to eight months of home detention along with a $5,500 fine.
Villatoro Moreno’s extradition was made possible through significant assistance from the Mexican government, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with Mexican law enforcement partners to secure his arrest and transfer to the United States. The investigation was led by the Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Additional support came from multiple US Department of Labor agencies, the US Department of State, and several worker advocacy organizations across the country.

If convicted on all charges, Villatoro Moreno faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Ilyssa Spergel of the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.