Workers at a Utah landscaping company have launched federal legal action against former state attorney general Sean Reyes, alleging he orchestrated a televised human-trafficking raid for political purposes that devastated their livelihoods.
The Controversial Raid and Its Aftermath
On 20 November 2023, officials from the Utah attorney general's Secure strike force descended upon Rubicon's offices, accompanied by a Fox News crew, charging the company with over 50 human-trafficking related crimes. The lawsuit filed by employees claims this dramatic intervention was based entirely on false information and caused catastrophic damage to the business and its staff.
Dario Benitez, a Rubicon employee and plaintiff in the case, described his disbelief when the raid occurred. "Rubicon workers were hit very hard," Benitez revealed. "The company was a very fast-growing business and never had any layoffs. Because of the actions of the Utah AGO, the company had to do four different rounds of layoffs."
Political Connections and Timing Questions
The legal action highlights Reyes' close ties to former President Donald Trump. During Trump's first term, Reyes was considered to lead the Federal Trade Commission. In 2020, he praised Trump at the Republican National Convention as a "warrior against human trafficking" and served as Utah co-chair for Trump's re-election campaign.
The lawsuit alleges the raid came days after Utah legislature approved an audit of Reyes' office amid questions about his relationship with Tim Ballard, founder of anti-trafficking organisation Operation Underground Railroad. Several women are suing Ballard over sexual assault allegations, though Ballard denies these claims and the Salt Lake City district attorney declined to file criminal charges.
"It was known and foreseeable that when government agents submitted materially false and misleading affidavits, and then invited the news media to film the raid, that the businesses employing Utah citizens would be crippled and their employees would suffer serious financial harm," the workers' lawsuit stated.
Devastating Consequences for Employees
The fallout from the raid was immediate and severe. Benitez explained that the company lost over 50% of its contracts, leading to multiple rounds of layoffs and reduced hours for remaining staff. "Some of those employees laid off still have not found work, others struggled to find new jobs," he said. "Employees who were able to keep their jobs suffered pay reductions, including loss of bonuses and significant salary reductions. To date, salaries and bonuses have not been restored."
Many workers were forced to take second jobs to make ends meet following the raid's devastating impact on Rubicon's operations.
The charges against Rubicon were eventually dismissed in 2024 after a judge found they were filed prematurely and many warrants were obtained through false information. This follows a similar $1 billion lawsuit filed by Rubicon and its parent company, alleging officials "conspired to manufacture bogus criminal charges to falsely inflate the public perception of the severity of human trafficking in Utah."
Scott Bennion, an employee at Scandia, Rubicon's parent company, emphasised the importance of setting the record straight. "The goal of this filing is to correct the record and us as individuals to move forward with our lives," Bennion stated in a press release. "When accusations are made without the evidence to support them, the impact does not simply disappear. Restoring accuracy is part of restoring trust."
The Utah attorney general's office and Sean Reyes have not responded to multiple requests for comment regarding the workers' lawsuit, having previously declined to comment on the initial legal action filed by Rubicon and its parent company.
