David Allen Anderton Convicted of Visa Fraud, Harboring Illegals

Lavon, Texas, resident David Allen Anderton, 49, stands convicted on federal charges of visa fraud, harboring illegal aliens, and conspiracy after a seven-day trial in the Eastern District of Texas. The verdict, delivered Dec. 15, 2016, by a federal jury in Sherman, marks the end of a scheme that exploited the H2B visa program for profit and human labor.

Anderton, owner of A&A Landscape and Irrigation, weaponized his commercial landscaping business to import Mexican workers under false pretenses. Court records reveal he manipulated the Department of State’s work visa system, underpaid employees, and housed them in squalid, hazardous conditions. Prosecutors proved he systematically denied prevailing wages and overtime, pocketing the difference—money that legally belonged to the workers.

The indictment was handed down March 9, 2016, by a federal grand jury. Evidence showed Anderton didn’t just break labor laws—he orchestrated a criminal enterprise that relied on deception, immigration violations, and financial fraud. Workers were brought in under temporary visas but treated as disposable assets, living in overcrowded housing while generating profits funneled into Anderton’s pockets.

“Today’s conviction affirms that David Anderton failed to pay prevailing wages and overtime to his H2B workers, and pocketed the money that rightfully belonged to his employees,” said Steven Grell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Dallas Regional Office. “The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate crimes that abuse Department of Labor programs and have a detrimental effect on workers. “

Under federal statutes, Anderton faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison. He is also ordered to forfeit nearly $2 million in assets tied to the criminal operation. While the statutory maximum is set by Congress, the actual sentence will be determined by the court after a presentence investigation conducted by the U.S. Probation Office. A sentencing hearing is pending.

The case was jointly investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andy Williams and Tom Gibson led the prosecution in U.S. District Court before Judge Amos Mazzant, delivering a rare but necessary conviction in the shadow economy of visa abuse and labor exploitation.