Former state Rep. Trevor Lee appeared briefly in Third District Court in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 28, facing four felony charges tied to an alleged scheme to forge employment documents and secure a $1 million home loan.

Lee did not enter a plea. He spoke only to confirm he had received a copy of the charges, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The hearing lasted just minutes.

Court Commissioner Melissa Stirba assigned the case to Judge Joel Ferre and set a scheduling conference for Nov. 23 at 9 a.m. Stirba also told Lee he still needed to be booked at the Salt Lake County jail. Lee's attorney, Kathryn Nester, said he had already been booked and fingerprinted, but the jail's records had not yet reached the court.

Lee and Nester left the courthouse without speaking to reporters, as did prosecutors from the Utah Attorney General's Office. Utah News Dispatch reported Lee walked down the hallway with his hands in his pockets and an expressionless face.

What prosecutors allege

The Utah Attorney General's Office charged Lee in September with communications fraud, mortgage fraud, forgery and a forgery-related possession count. The communications fraud and mortgage fraud charges are second-degree felonies, each carrying up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine upon conviction. The forgery and possession charges are third-degree felonies punishable by up to five years and a $5,000 fine.

Prosecutors allege Lee forged documents to inflate his income from Enevive, a water treatment company, and submitted a fake job offer from another company, Blue Logic, to secure a $1 million loan from Kind Lending. That loan was structured as a refinance, returning $317,190.99 in cash to Lee, according to charging documents cited by Utah News Dispatch.

Charging documents say Lee requested $93,000 in cash advances from Enevive CEO Trent Spafford to show higher income on his mortgage application. In exchange, Lee allegedly promised to help Spafford's company land a government contract with Hill Air Force Base. Lee was a sitting state legislator at the time.

Spafford told investigators the Enevive documents attached to Lee's mortgage application were fraudulent and that his signature was forged. A Blue Logic representative told investigators the company had prepared a letter for Lee "to help Lee as a friend" and that it "was not accurate," according to charging documents.

Resignation and background

Lee, a Layton Republican who represented House District 16 since 2023, resigned his seat on Sept. 28, the same day the charges were filed. He had already lost the June Republican primary to Davis County Commissioner Bob Stevenson, 66% to 34%, but would have served through year's end.

In a statement released through the House of Representatives at the time, Lee cited personal circumstances and did not mention the investigation.

House Speaker Mike Schultz had asked the attorney general's office to investigate after Spafford alleged Lee promised to help secure the Hill Air Force Base contract in exchange for the cash advances, the Tribune reported.

Lee's case now moves to Judge Ferre for the scheduling conference.