PHOENIX - A Zipps Sports Grill manager faces up to 15 years in prison and "practically inevitable" deportation after admitting to using his role as kitchen supervisor to facilitate identity fraud and illegal hiring practices.
What we know:
Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales will plead guilty to the unlawful transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification, according to court documents dated Feb. 17. He could face a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The sentence could also include up to three years of supervised release.
Gonzalez-Rosales acknowledges that his guilty plea will likely result in his deportation, court documents state. Under federal law, the felony to which he is pleading guilty is a removable offense. Despite discussing with his attorney that his removal from the United States is "practically inevitable," Gonzalez-Rosales maintains his intent to plead guilty.
As part of his plea agreement, Gonzalez-Rosales admitted to his role in a series of unlawful practices, which federal prosecutors say they could prove beyond a reasonable doubt.
Gonzalez-Rosales began working for Zipps Sports Grill in 2006 and was recently promoted to oversee kitchen staff at the chain’s 14 locations. In this role, he interviewed applicants and reviewed hiring documents.
On Oct. 17, 2024, Gonzalez-Rosales used his cellphone to text photos of a real applicant’s Arizona driver’s license and Social Security card to an applicant. Gonzalez-Rosales admitted he sent the documents without authorization to help Torres use a false identity to secure a job at Zipps.
Zipps hiring manager accused of using fraudulent documents to hire illegal immigrants
Federal authorities say they have charged a Zipps Sports Grill hiring manager with aggravated identity theft and the unlawful employment of illegal immigrants following a yearlong investigation into the restaurant chain.
The backstory:
Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) served warrants at 14 Zipps Sports Grill locations and Goldie’s Sports Cafe in Scottsdale on Monday, Jan. 26.
More than 35 people were arrested during the raids on suspicion of immigration-related violations, HSI said. The agency serves as the investigative arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"ICE HSI Arizona led the execution of over a dozen criminal federal search warrants at multiple Zipps Grille restaurants, resulting in the arrest of more than 35 illegal aliens. This ongoing investigation is focused on several federal law violations including unlawful employment of aliens, identity theft, and document fraud.HSI Arizona conducted the operation with several law enforcement partners to include the IRS-CI, ERO, US Marshals and Border Patrol," the agency said in a Jan. 28 statement.
Full statement from the United States Attorney's Office District of Arizona
Special Agents with Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-Criminal Investigation executed federal search warrants at 14 Zipps restaurants in the Phoenix area, Monday, Jan. 26, after a year-long investigation into unlawful employment of aliens, identity theft and document fraud.
As a result of the investigation, Diego Gonzalez-Rosales, 36, a Mexican national illegally residing in the United States, was charged by criminal complaint with Pattern and Practice of Knowingly Employing Unauthorized Aliens, Knowingly Making False Attestations on a Form I-9, Knowingly Transferring Means of Identification Without Authority, and Aggravated Identity Theft.
As the individual responsible for hiring kitchen staff for all Zipps locations in Arizona, Gonzalez-Rosales is alleged to have recruited and hired illegal aliens at multiple locations, using fraudulent identification documents to verify their eligibility to work via the E-Verify online employment verification system.
Employees Edwin Flores Rosales, 28, Salvador Villenueva-Rosas, 48, and Ludwin Benjamin Perez Velasco, 22, all unlawfully present in the United States, have also been charged in criminal complaints for lying when filling out the Form I-9, stating they were U.S. citizens and using false identification and social security numbers.
In total, 39 individuals unlawfully present in the United States and working at Zipps were taken into custody during the operation.
According to the complaint and probable cause documents, in March 2025, Homeland Security Investigations served 14 Zipps locations, plus corporate headquarters, with a notice of inspection requiring the company to produce their Forms I-9, after receiving information alleging that employees may have been using fraudulent identification documents to verify their eligibility to work using the E-Verify system.
HSI later reviewed documents provided by the company that revealed alleged instances in which the name, social security number and date of birth on the forms were being misused to gain employment.
A review of employee wages identified 76 employees who had suspicious patterns of employment, showing between three and 42 active employers other than Zipps Sports Grill during the second quarter of 2025. These individuals certified themselves as U.S. citizens, which meant they were not required to list an Alien Registration Number on their Forms I-9, a form that verifies work eligibility of employees.
The review further showed multiple jobs and extremely high wages earned in the same quarter which is consistent with aggravated identity theft. In line with the patterns identified, Gonzalez-Rosales is alleged to have knowingly employed illegal aliens and assisted individuals in lying on their I-9 forms, claiming the individuals were U.S. citizens and using other individual’s names and identification to complete the forms for employment.
A criminal complaint is simply a method by which a person is charged with criminal activity and raises no inference of guilt. An individual is presumed innocent until evidence is presented to a jury that establishes guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
HSI Arizona is continuing the investigation based on information seized during the execution of the search warrant with support from IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, Phoenix, is prosecuting the case.