A West Bountiful landscaping company asked a federal court on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to lock down sworn testimony from 18 workers the state once labeled human-trafficking victims, arguing the witnesses will leave the country before the case goes to trial.

Rubicon Contracting LLC filed the motion as part of Larsen v. Reyes, a civil-rights lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages from former Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and three members of his staff, ABC4 reported. The company, owned by Rudy and Jena Larsen, alleges the AG's office manufactured trafficking charges to justify nearly $1.9 million in federal grant funding for its SECURE Strike Force.

The workers hold temporary "Continued Presence" immigration grants that expire Feb. 6, 2027, according to KSL. Once those lapse, the workers return to their home countries and cannot be subpoenaed in U.S. court. Rubicon's attorneys have agreed to keep the depositions sealed until the defendants' pending motion to dismiss is resolved.

Criminal case collapsed

In November 2023, the AG's office charged seven Rubicon executives with aggravated human trafficking, alleging they recruited roughly 150 Mexican workers on H-2B visas and forced them into substandard housing. Three executives were arrested during a Thanksgiving-week raid and held without bail for 11 days.

By July 2024, the presiding judge had called for a Franks hearing on five of 10 search warrants, finding that investigator Michael Adam Jeter's statements to obtain the warrants "were knowingly false or, at a minimum, made with a reckless disregard for the truth," according to KSL's earlier reporting.

The state dismissed its charges in February 2025.

The U.S. Department of Justice closed a parallel investigation on April 8, 2026, without filing charges. A June 2026 Rubicon motion alleged the federal probe was never independent, contending the only investigators involved were DHS agent Jared Hatch and special assistant U.S. attorney Kaytlin Beckett, both members of the same SECURE Strike Force that ran the state case.

Workers tried to return, filing alleges

The Aug. 4 motion presents evidence that several workers labeled as victims tried to come back to Rubicon after charges were filed. Jorge Breton Hondal applied for a job with the company twice. Others emailed asking about new visas for the following season or recommending friends for hire. One worker, Jesus Omar, appeared in a Rubicon recruiting video praising the company.

Cameron Drommond, vice president of Rubicon's parent company Scandia Company LLC, said in a statement:

"Trafficking victims do not apply to work for their traffickers — twice, after the case ends. They do not recruit their friends. They do not write asking for new visas so they can return."

The motion also cites a case in which AG's office agent Alan Belcher certified a worker as a trafficking victim over a pay dispute of $1.01 per hour, the difference between a promised $18.92 and actual $17.91. A private investigator's report filed with the motion states that worker Ricardo Prieto said he gave a statement to investigators after being promised T-visas and U-visas, and that an investigator offered food, rent and money in exchange for his participation.

Financial toll

Before the November 2023 raid, Rubicon was valued at more than $300 million and counted Walmart among its clients, according to Facilities Dive, which reported on the lawsuit's allegations. The company's business dropped 70% after charges were filed, and major customers cut ties. The lawsuit also alleges the AG's office directly contacted Rubicon's clients to discourage them from continuing the relationship.

Neither Reyes nor the current Utah Attorney General's Office has publicly responded to the Aug. 4 motion. When the lawsuit was filed in October 2025, Reyes said he had not reviewed the complaint.

The defendants' motion to dismiss remains pending. The Feb. 6, 2027, visa expiration is the operative deadline driving Rubicon's push to depose the 18 workers.