LOS ANGELES — A Santa Maria labor recruiter was sentenced Monday to one year and one day in federal prison for charging Mexican farmworkers thousands of dollars for temporary work visas and then paying them less than the wages promised to the federal government.
Jorge Vasquez, 65, also was ordered by U.S. District Judge John F. Walter to pay $165,157 in restitution.
Vasquez pleaded guilty June 24 to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Federal prosecutors said Vasquez and his co-conspirators fraudulently recruited 162 foreign workers through the H-2A visa program to work at Cuyama Valley Farms LLC and JJB Farm LLC, two companies he controlled.
The H-2A program allows agricultural employers to hire temporary foreign workers when they cannot find enough qualified U.S. workers.
Employers and labor recruiters are prohibited from charging workers recruitment or visa fees.
Despite those restrictions, Vasquez charged farmworkers between $8,000 and $15,000 for H-2A visas, according to his plea agreement.
Prosecutors said Vasquez and his co-conspirators mailed visa applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that falsely stated they had not collected—and would not collect— visa fees or living expenses from prospective workers.
The applications also stated that JJB Farm workers would be paid $19.50 an hour and Cuyama Valley Farms workers would receive $19.97 an hour.
USCIS approved the visas based on those representations. But prosecutors said Vasquez charged the workers thousands of dollars and paid them less than the wages listed in the applications.
JJB Farm workers were paid $16.50 an hour, while Cuyama Valley Farms workers received approximately $16 an hour, according to court documents.
In May 2025, Vasquez charged one worker $8,500 and another $7,500 for H-2A visas to work at JJB Farm, prosecutors said. He charged another worker $5,000 in July 2025.
The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General, the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and Homeland Security Investigations.
The Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division, the California Employment Development Department and USCIS’ Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate assisted in the investigation.
🔴 Quick Fact Checklist
🔴 Defendant: Jorge Vasquez, 65, of Santa Maria
🔴 Sentence: One year and one day in federal prison
🔴 Restitution: $165,157
🔴 Charge: Conspiracy to commit mail fraud
🔴 Workers recruited: 162 foreign farmworkers
🔴 Visa program: H-2A temporary agricultural worker program
🔴 Companies: Cuyama Valley Farms LLC and JJB Farm LLC
🔴 Alleged visa fees: Between $8,000 and $15,000 per worker
🔴 Promised JJB wage: $19.50 an hour
🔴 Actual JJB wage: $16.50 an hour
🔴 Promised Cuyama wage: $19.97 an hour
🔴 Actual Cuyama wage: Approximately $16 an hour
🔴 Sentencing judge: U.S. District Judge John F. Walter
🔴 Court: U.S. District Court for the Central District of California