Prosecutors allege Lee forged an employment document and overstated his income while seeking a $1 million home loan.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Former Utah Rep. Trevor Lee faces four felony charges after prosecutors alleged he used false employment and income information, including a forged signature, to obtain a $1 million home loan.
Charges filed Monday by the Utah Attorney General’s Office in 3rd District Court accuse Lee, a Republican from Layton, of communications fraud and mortgage fraud, both second-degree felonies, as well as forgery and possession of a forgery device, both third-degree felonies. Lee resigned from the Utah House shortly after the charges were filed. The allegations have not been proven in court.
According to charging documents, investigators reviewed records connected to financing for Lee’s home. Prosecutors allege Lee submitted documents representing that he held jobs with two water treatment companies, Blue Logic and Enevive, at income levels that investigators later determined did not match his actual employment and earnings.
The documents allege Lee represented himself as Blue Logic’s sales director with a monthly salary of $15,833. Investigators were told the company had made Lee an employment offer that he never accepted and that he instead worked as a contract employee. Prosecutors allege Lee acknowledged that he knew Blue Logic could not pay the $190,000 annual salary reflected in the paperwork used during the mortgage process.
Prosecutors also allege Lee submitted an Enevive employment contract listing a $168,000 annual salary. Trent Spafford, Enevive’s CEO, told investigators that the document was fraudulent and that his signature had been forged, according to the charging documents. The documents say Lee initially denied signing Spafford’s name but later acknowledged that Spafford had not signed the contract and that Lee had signed it.
The income reported in the mortgage documents also differed substantially from Lee’s tax records, prosecutors allege. Charging documents say paperwork submitted during the lending process reported Enevive income of about $14,000 a month, while Lee’s 2024 W-2 from the company showed total wages of $55,634.59.
Prosecutors allege the documents were used to secure a $1 million conventional loan structured as a refinance. Charging records cited by Utah news organizations say the transaction returned $317,190.99 in cash to Lee. The state alleges the loan was obtained through material misrepresentations about Lee’s employment and income.
The investigation also examined allegations involving $93,000 in cash advances from Spafford. According to charging documents, Spafford told investigators that Lee requested the advances to show increased income while seeking financing for his home. The filing further alleges Spafford said Lee offered to make him financially whole by helping his company secure a government contract with Hill Air Force Base. Those assertions are allegations contained in the criminal case and have not been established as fact at trial.
Lee, 35, represented Utah House District 16 in Davis County. In a resignation statement released Monday, he said personal circumstances required his attention and that he could no longer give constituents the time and service they deserved. His statement did not address the criminal allegations. Lee had already lost the Republican primary for the seat to Davis County Commissioner Bob Stevenson in June, according to state election records.
The charges expose Lee to potentially significant prison terms if he is convicted. Under the charges described in court records, the communications fraud and mortgage fraud counts are second-degree felonies, while forgery and possession of a forgery device are third-degree felonies. Lee is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The Utah Attorney General’s Office has declined to comment beyond the active prosecution, according to KUTV. An initial court appearance had not been scheduled as of Monday evening, according to Utah News Dispatch. Lee’s resignation also leaves House District 16 without its elected representative while the process to fill the vacancy moves forward.
Author note: Last updated September 29, 2026.