Five Indicted In Georgia Over Alleged Farmworker Visa Fraud And Smuggling Ring
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Georgia have unsealed a superseding indictment charging five individuals in a scheme to fraudulently secure foreign agricultural worker visas and smuggle people into the United States.
According to court filings, Martha Aquino, 61, Evangelina Aquino De Galvan, 49, and Julio Cervantes, 38, all of Alma, Georgia; Marco Cervantes, 41, of Rowlett, Georgia; and Juan Felipe Romero-Lopez, 31, a Mexican national, conspired to exploit the federal H-2A guest worker program. Investigators stated the group filed paperwork containing false claims about where incoming workers would live and labor, while flouting regulatory requirements by charging workers illegal upfront fees before allowing them to apply for visas or take up their jobs.
Prosecutors allege the defendants seized and withheld workers’ passports and identification documents, using threats and physical violence to keep them from leaving or stopping work. When the temporary work visas expired, the group allegedly helped the laborers stay in the country unlawfully and offered to transport them across the United States for additional cash payments.
“The H-2A is specifically designed to help farmers fill temporary or seasonal jobs when there is a shortage of domestic labor,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Instead of helping American farmers, these defendants allegedly concocted a scheme to enrich themselves by manipulating the program and smuggling aliens into the country for profit.”
Work being done on a farm. Courtesy, UF/IFAS photography
“Those who exploit immigrant workers and abuse the H-2A visa program for their own financial gain will be held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Margaret E. “Meg” Heap for the Southern District of Georgia. “We will continue to partner with our federal, state and local agencies to protect these workers, safeguard the integrity of the H-2A program and prosecute those who turn a lawful employment program into a vehicle for profit and abuse.”
Authorities arrested Aquino, Julio Cervantes, and Marco Cervantes this week. Aquino De Galvan remains at large. Romero-Lopez was already in federal custody following a May 2026 charge for unlawful possession of a firearm by an undocumented immigrant.
“Exploiting a lawful worker visa program to profit from vulnerable individuals undermines our immigration system, harms legitimate employers, and puts workers at risk,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ellen Johnson of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Georgia and Alabama. “HSI will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to identify and dismantle criminal networks that use fraud, coercion, and violence to facilitate human smuggling and trafficking.”
“The H-2A program exists to meet critical U.S. labor needs through lawful employment, not to facilitate fraud or exploitation,” said Deputy Assistant Director William Ferrari of the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) Office of Investigations. “Working closely with Homeland Security Investigations, and alongside the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, DSS jointly investigated this case. Through our global presence and expertise in visa fraud investigations, DSS will continue working with our law enforcement partners to identify abuses of U.S. visa programs and hold alleged offenders accountable.”
“The defendants allegedly used fraud and intimidation to exploit vulnerable workers and undermine the H-2A visa program, a system designed to meet legitimate agricultural labor needs,” said Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito of the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General. “Their egregious conduct included demanding improper payments, confiscating workers’ identification documents, and using threats or violence to maintain control. The Department of Labor Office of Inspector General will aggressively investigate those who exploit labor programs and workers for profit. We will continue working with our law-enforcement partners to ensure these individuals are held fully accountable.”
Aquino, Aquino De Galvan, and Julio Cervantes face charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, substantive visa fraud, and encouraging and inducing illegal entry for financial gain. Marco Cervantes faces charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and visa fraud. Romero-Lopez is charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and possessing a firearm as an undocumented immigrant.
If convicted, the visa fraud conspiracy charge carries a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison for all five defendants. Aquino, Aquino De Galvan, Julio Cervantes, and Marco Cervantes each face up to 10 years for visa fraud. Aquino, Aquino De Galvan, and Julio Cervantes face an additional 10-year maximum sentence for inducing illegal entry, while Romero-Lopez faces up to 15 years on the firearm charge.
The ongoing inquiry is led by HSI Savannah, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, with operational assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., and U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s National Targeting Center.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sean F. Mulryne of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section alongside Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marcela C. Mateo and Makeia R. Jonese of the Southern District of Georgia, supported by Joint Task Force Alpha.