Alexander Villatoro Moreno, a 53-year-old Mexican national also known as Quichi, pleaded guilty on Feb. 12 in federal court in Tampa, Florida, to conspiracy under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. The case involved the exploitation of Mexican H-2A workers who were brought to the United States between 2015 and 2017 to harvest fruits, vegetables, and other agricultural products.
The plea highlights ongoing concerns about labor trafficking and abuse within the agricultural sector. Authorities say that vulnerable migrant workers are often targeted by criminal enterprises seeking profit through illegal means.
According to court documents, Villatoro Moreno and his co-defendants operated Los Villatoros Harvesting (LVH), a farm labor contracting company that functioned as a criminal enterprise across several states including Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Georgia, and North Carolina. They fraudulently recruited Mexican nationals using short-term H-2A visas by misleading U.S. authorities and charging workers high recruitment fees while providing false information about pay and working conditions. Workers were then compelled to work long hours for less than legally required wages.
Prosecutors said that coercive tactics included imposing debts on workers, confiscating passports, subjecting them to poor living conditions, verbal abuse, threats of arrest or deportation, isolation from outsiders, and threats against their families in Mexico. When officials began investigating LVH’s practices, Villatoro Moreno helped prepare false payroll records and distributed fake reimbursement receipts to conceal underpayments.
U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory W. Kehoe said: “Exploiting our nation’s immigration laws to victimize people seeking legitimate employment is not only illegal but unconscionable. The conspirators in this case deliberately deceived and trafficked individuals into the United States, then subjected them to deplorable conditions for profit. Diligent investigation and cooperation by our law enforcement partners assured that these criminals were brought to justice.”
Villatoro Moreno’s four co-defendants previously pleaded guilty for their roles in the scheme. His brother Bladimir Moreno was sentenced in 2022 to over nine years in prison with restitution ordered; other supervisors received sentences ranging from home detention with fines up to more than three years’ imprisonment.
The Palm Beach County Human Trafficking Task Force led the investigation with support from multiple federal agencies as well as legal aid organizations across several states. The Government of Mexico assisted with extradition efforts.
Anyone with information about human trafficking is encouraged to contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or visit www.humantraffickinghotline.org for resources.
