Federal grand jury charges four in massive H-2A visa fraud and labor exploitation scheme
By Dan Thesman on Monday, February 23rd, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
YAKIMA – A federal grand jury has charged four individuals from Yakima and Tri-Cities in a 51-count indictment for allegedly orchestrating a massive fraud scheme involving the H-2A agricultural worker visa program, federal prosecutors announced.
The defendants – Francisco Rodriguez Martel, Esmeralda Rodriguez, and Erica Cisneros of the Tri-Cities, along with Giovanna Sierra Carrillo of Yakima – operated a farm labor contract business known as “Harvest Plus”. Between 2022 and 2024, the group allegedly submitted fraudulent documents to federal agencies claiming that various farms located in Sunnyside, Goldendale, Pasco, Wapato, Yakima, and Prescott required temporary foreign labor.
According to the indictment returned Feb. 11, the group used “bogus” information regarding job locations, wages, and housing to unlawfully transport more than 500 laborers from Mexico into Eastern Washington.
Once in the U.S., workers were allegedly subjected to abusive conditions. Prosecutors say many victims were forced to perform unapproved domestic labor, work in extreme heat without clean water, and were exposed to pesticides without protection. Some were placed in overcrowded housing lacking kitchens, while Rodriguez Martel allegedly imposed illegal fees for food and lodging.
To prevent workers from reporting the abuse, Rodriguez Martel and Esmeralda Rodriguez allegedly threatened to contact immigration authorities, with Rodriguez Martel also accused of threatening the workers’ physical safety.
“When bad actors exploit vulnerable workers or attempt to game the system, we investigate, we expose, and we hold them accountable,” Deputy of Labor Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito said.
