Houston carnival owner charged with crimes against migrant workers

HOUSTON – A Mexican national, Angel Reyes Isidro, also known as Angel Reyes or Lucas Isidro Reyes, appeared in federal court amid allegations of overseas employment contract fraud, false statements and mail fraud, said U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani.

The indictment said that in 2019, Reyes, 41, operated and managed J&G Concessions LLC in Houston and submitted false applications for temporary employment in the United States, seeking H-2B visas for foreign seasonal workers.

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When the workers arrived, Reyes allegedly charged illegal fees, paid them below the required wage and used threats of deportation and loss of future employment opportunities to force them to work in deplorable conditions, according to the accusations.

During the hearing, Reyes was allegedly in possession of a firearm which he used to intimidate workers. Testimonies further accuse Reyes of sexually harassing temporary workers, assaulting one of them and retaliating against those who were victims.

Reyes continued to operate his carnival business with unauthorized workers from 2022 until his arrest on April 28, records show.

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If convicted of mail fraud, Reyes faces up to 20 years in federal prison, with a maximum of 10 years for visa fraud. Additionally, he could face fines of up to $250,000 for each conviction.

The investigation into this matter was conducted by the Department of State-Diplomatic Security Service, with support from the Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations, as part of the Task Force on document and benefit fraud.