Employees at Rubicon, a land management company, went on strike. Their Margins lawsuit targeted Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, who led a politically-motivated raid on their offices. On November 20, 2023, Reyes’ office implemented a raid that sent shockwaves through the company. This operation resulted in a disastrous financial impact, forcing thousands of employees into layoffs or at reduced hours.
Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes was once considered a leading candidate to head the Federal Trade Commission during Donald Trump’s administration. Most recently, he has faced backlash for his ties to Tim Ballard, founder of Operation Underground Railroad (OUR). Critics had been warning about Reyes’s connections to Ballard as the Utah legislature unanimously passed a special audit of his office. This audit came amidst increasing scrutiny over Reyes’s connections, as well as Reyes’s response to human trafficking allegations.
On the day of the raid, officials from the Utah attorney general’s Secure Strike Force, led by Reyes, entered Rubicon’s offices with a local Fox News affiliate crew in tow. In the wake of the raid, Reyes’s office filed over 50 charges against Rubicon for human trafficking crimes. According to Rubicon municipal solutions employee Dario Benitez, it took time for him to process what had transpired.
“To date, salaries and bonuses have not been restored.” – Dario Benitez
Benitez said at a press conference, still astonished when the charges were unveiled. He said the aftermath of the botched raid led Rubicon to lose over 90 percent of all the contracts Rubicon serviced. This loss then made it necessary for a lot of these employees, including Benitez, to get a second job just to survive.
The federal lawsuit brought by Rubicon workers claims that the charges were baseless and had been brought in bad faith. These accusations came only days after the Utah legislature approved an audit of Reyes’s office. Employees contend Reyes and his management team’s actions are responsible for the devastating impact on their livelihoods.
Scott Bennion, an employee at Scandia, Rubicon’s parent company, expressed his concern about the impact of the lawsuit in a statement. He stated that the objective of this legal action is to “correct the record and us as individuals to move forward with our lives.” Bennion added to the point that when false accusations are leveled with no evidence, the damage continues well after the moment.
“The goal of this filing is to correct the record and us as individuals to move forward with our lives.” – Scott Bennion
The raid and subsequent federal charges against Rubicon have raised significant questions about Reyes’s leadership and decision-making processes. The timing of these allegations raises serious questions about Reyes’s motivations. They’re equally troubling for the integrity of his office.
The fight against this unlawful action taken by the Utah attorney general’s office continues to this day. What happens next with these openings is anyone’s guess. The Utah attorney general’s office did not respond to our several requests for comment. Sean Reyes has been coy about the allegations and the current lawsuit still pending.