Two Defendants Indicted for Forced Labor, Victim Tampering, Aggravated Identity Theft, Mail Fraud, and Wire Fraud involving Yakima and Benton County H-2A Workers

YAKIMA, Washington - Two individuals from the Yakima area have been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally transporting over 100 temporary foreign agricultural workers over the border of the United States and engaging in both forced labor practices and victim tampering. Cesar Jamie Rebolledo Diaz and Socorro Ramos, both of Yakima, Washington, were charged in a ten-count Indictment returned by a federal grand jury in Yakima, Washington, on February 11, 2026. The United States Marshal Service and other law enforcement agencies are currently attempting to execute the arrest warrants for both Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos.

The federal Indictment alleges that Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos fraudulently obtained 103 temporary work visas under the H-2A program by falsely representing they both worked for Marquez Farms LLC, in Wapato Washington, on documentation submitted to the United States Department of Labor, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the United States Department of State. Additionally, Ramos fraudulently held herself out to the public, while working to obtain temporary work visas, as the co-owner of Marquez Farms LLC.

The Indictment further alleges Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos recruited foreign laborers from Mexico under false pretenses of providing a temporary paying job at Marquez Farms LLC, which they promised included adequate housing, food, paid travel and visas, and predictable location and hours of work. Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos then transported 103 foreign laborers from the border of the United States and Mexico to the Eastern District of Washington. This transportation was done in overcrowded school buses with no available air conditioning or water. Upon arriving in the Eastern District of Washington, some of the workers found themselves without the work promised, and others found themselves working for no pay. Moreover, the workers were not consistently provided food or adequate housing facilities. The Federal Indictment alleges that when authorities from the state of Washington began to investigate how Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos were treating the foreign laborers in their employ, Rebolledo Diaz and Ramos instructed the foreign laborers to remain silent and to report on foreign laborers who were interacting with state investigators.

First Assistant United States Attorney Pete Serrano stated, "My office is committed to seeking justice for these vulnerable victims and protecting the integrity of a federal program vital to the success of our agricultural sector in the Eastern District of Washington."

Department of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D'Esposito said, "The Office of Inspector General is unwavering in our commitment to protect the integrity of the Department of Labor's Foreign Labor Certification programs. When bad actors exploit vulnerable workers or attempt to game the system, we investigate, we expose, and we hold them accountable. At the same time, we safeguard the U.S. employers who follow the law and play by the rules. We will continue working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to ensure these programs serve legitimate labor needs - not criminal enterprises. Fraud will not be tolerated. Accountability is not optional."

The charges contained in this Indictment are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Courtney R. Pratten, Jeremy J. Kelley, and Tyler H.L. Tornabene. They were investigated by the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Department of State Diplomatic Security Service.