PHOENIX — A hiring manager at Zipps Sports Grill is pleading guilty to charges following January's federal raids of all Valley locations.
On Thursday, ABC15 obtained court documents showing 36-year-old Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales decided to plead guilty as part of an agreement.
Gonzalez-Rosales is pleading guilty to unlawful transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification, a Class C felony.
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According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, the arrests came after a year-long investigation into unlawful employment, identity theft, and document fraud.
Officials say Gonzalez-Rosales was responsible for hiring kitchen staff for all Zipps locations in Arizona. He allegedly recruited and hired individuals who had entered the country illegally at multiple locations, "using fraudulent identification documents to verify their eligibility to work via the E-Verify online employment verification system."
Three employees were 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."
According to officials, Homeland Security Investigations served 14 Zipps locations and its corporate headquarters with a notice of inspection requiring the company to produce its I-9 forms after receiving information alleging that employees may have been using fraudulent identification documents to verify their eligibility to work.
"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," a release said.
They reportedly certified themselves as U.S. citizens, which did not require them to fill out an I-9 form, and a review showed that they had earned "extremely high wages" consistent with aggravated identity theft, a release stated.
Officials say Gonzalez-Rosales knowingly employed people who had entered the country illegally and assisted individuals who were U.S. citizens, and used other individuals' names and identification to complete the forms of employment.
Gonzalez-Rosales faces a fine of $250,000 and/or a maximum of 15 years in prison.
