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GOP lawmaker’s fraud crusade takes dramatic turn as scandal engulfs his own career
By Robert Schmad
Published September 30, 2026
After spending years railing against fraud, Utah Republican state Rep. Trevor Lee has resigned after being charged with fraud himself.
The Utah Attorney General's Office filed criminal charges against Lee on Monday, accusing him of forging documents and engaging in fraud in order to obtain a home loan. Prior to the charges, Lee had pushed legislation aimed at combating unemployment fraud and publicly praised efforts to expose the sweeping fraud scandals that have rocked Minnesota in recent years.
In one video obtained by prosecutors, the CEO of a Utah water company "stated that Lee had requested cash advances totaling $93,000 to show increased income to assist in purchasing his home, and that Lee said he would make (the CEO) 'whole' by securing (his) company a government contract with Hill Air Force Base," according to the charging document.
SWING-STATE'S FRAUD RECKONING RAISES MINNESOTA-STYLE ALARM AS WILD SCHEMES EXPOSED
Flags fly at the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Jan. 18, 2026. (Sydney Schaefer/AP)
Another company claimed that Lee improperly used an offer letter from them to make it seem as if his income was higher than it was.
"Lee devised a scheme to obtain a $1 million home loan by false pretenses. To execute it, he communicated fraudulent documents to Kind Lending through the mortgage process — a forged Enevive employment contract, a loan application overstating his Enevive income, and a Blue Logic offer letter he knew misrepresented his employment," prosecutors wrote.
Former Utah state Rep. Trevor Lee in his official headshot. (Utah House/UTleg.gov)
Investigators say Lee admitted during an interview that he personally forged the Enevive CEO’s signature on the employment contract to obtain the loan and knew the offer letter did not reflect income the company could actually pay him.
Nick Shirley, YouTuber and independent journalist, testified before Congress Jan. 21 over Minnesota fraud scandal. (OutKick / Reuters)
Lee’s social media feed is full of positive references to Nick Shirley, a content creator who attracted national attention after releasing videos alleging fraud involving Somali-run childcare centers and other publicly funded programs in Minnesota.
"Nick is going to stop a Gavin Newsom presidency single handily (sic.)," Lee said in one post. In another post, Lee offered Shirley assistance after he was charged a fee for filming at the Utah state capital building.
"Keep up the good work Nick," Lee said in his most recent post directed at the YouTuber, dated July 11.
In addition to the praise of Shirley, Lee also introduced pieces of legislation designed to crack down on unemployment assistance fraud in 2023 and 2024.
Tourists visit the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City on Sept. 11, 2025. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Lee resigned from the legislature shortly after the charges were filed.
"Due to personal circumstances that require my attention, I no longer feel I can give my constituents the time, attention and service they deserve," he said. "I will always be grateful for the people I have met, the relationships I have built and the opportunity I have had to serve the people of Utah."
Even if the fraud charges hadn’t come, Lee’s time in the legislature was approaching an end as he had lost his GOP primary election in June.
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Lee did not respond to a request for comment when reached by Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/gop-lawmakers-fraud-crusade-takes-dramatic-turn-scandal-engulfs-his-own-career