Alexander Villatoro Moreno, Forced Labor, Florida 2024

A Mexican national has been extradited back to Florida to face charges of forced labor and RICO Act violations. Alexander Villatoro Moreno, also known as “Quichi,” made his first appearance in federal court today.

The indictment alleges that Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants recruited Mexican nationals to work in the United States, often lying to them about their wages, working conditions, and reimbursement for expenses. The defendants then secured valid H-2A visas for the victims and forced them to work long hours in physically demanding agricultural jobs for far less pay than they were entitled to.

The indictment further alleges that Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants took the victims’ passports to prevent them from leaving, threatened them with arrest and deportation, and distributed fake reimbursement receipts to make it appear that Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH) was reimbursing the workers for their travel-related expenses.

Villatoro Moreno faces four charges, including conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, conspiracy to commit forced labor, conspiracy to obstruct proceedings before agencies, and one count of forced labor for conduct alleged to have occurred between September 2015 and December 2017.

If convicted, Villatoro Moreno faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, investigated the case. The Task Force received assistance from the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, the Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, 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.

The Government of Mexico, including the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), provided significant assistance in the extradition of Villatoro Moreno to the United States. The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs worked with law enforcement partners in Mexico to secure the arrest and extradition of Villatoro Moreno.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ilyssa Spergel for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorney Matthew Thiman of the Civil Rights Division’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit are prosecuting the case.

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