Layton — Trevor Lee, the Republican representative for House District 16, has resigned from the Utah House of Representatives, effective immediately, after being charged with four felony counts of fraud on Monday. The Utah Attorney General’s Office filed court documents in 3rd District Court, accusing Lee of forging employment documents to secure a home loan.
Lee faces one count of communications fraud and one count of mortgage fraud, both second-degree felonies, which carry a possible penalty of one to 15 years in prison. He is also charged with one count each of forgery and possession of a forgery device, third-degree felonies with a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.
In a prepared statement released through the House of Representatives on Monday, Lee stated he was resigning due to "personal circumstances" that required his attention, and did not reference the investigation. House Speaker Mike Schultz accepted the resignation, stating he appreciated Lee's service. The Davis County Republican Party will now organize a special election to fill the vacancy for the remainder of Lee's term. Lee, who has represented House District 16 since 2023, was not returning to the Legislature next year, having lost his re-election bid during the June primaries.
The investigation by the Utah Attorney General’s Office alleges that Lee requested $93,000 in cash advances from Trent Spafford, CEO of the water treatment company Enevive, with the aim of showing increased income to obtain a home mortgage. According to charging documents, Lee indicated he would make Spafford "whole" by securing Spafford’s company a government contract with Hill Air Force Base.
In his mortgage paperwork, Lee stated he was the sales director of Blue Logic, another water treatment company, with a monthly salary of $15,833. He also claimed employment with Enevive from July 2024 to October 2025, with a monthly salary of $13,761, attaching offer letters for both companies.
However, a representative from Blue Logic informed investigators that the company had made Lee an offer he never accepted. The representative also stated that Lee asked for the letter to help obtain a home loan, that he was a contract employee rather than full-time, and that the letter was prepared as a favor to Lee and was not accurate, according to the charges. Trent Spafford, CEO of Enevive, separately told investigators that the documents attached to Lee’s mortgage application from his company were fraudulent and that his signature was forged. Court documents indicate Lee later confirmed to prosecutors that the Enevive employment contract was not signed by Spafford and that he had signed it himself. He also acknowledged that he knew Blue Logic could not afford to pay him the salary he had indicated.
Further inconsistencies emerged as Lee's W-2 contradicted the Enevive income he reported, showing total wages of $55,634 from the company in 2024. Prosecutors reviewed Lee's loan documents, which, according to charging documents, secured him a $1 million conventional loan structured as a refinance, providing $317,190.99 in cash to Lee.
These claims against Lee were publicly raised by Spafford and Jason Walton, president of Moxie Pest Control, prior to the Davis County Republican Party Nominating Convention, where they urged voters not to reelect him. Walton had previously claimed that when Lee worked for him in 2013, Lee doctored checks to boost his pay. In April, Lee addressed the check allegations with Utah News Dispatch, stating it was "something I did as a stupid college kid and paid my debt." At that time, he denied any improper business dealings with Spafford. Lee did not respond to a request for comment regarding the current charges on Monday. An initial court appearance for Lee had not been scheduled as of Monday evening.
