A Zipps Sports Grill kitchen manager pleaded guilty to a felony charge for providing fraudulent documents to a job applicant.
The manager, an undocumented immigrant, faces up to five months in prison and possible deportation.
He is one of four undocumented workers charged after federal agents raided 14 Zipps locations in the Phoenix area.
The manager in charge of overseeing kitchen staff for all 14 Zipps Sports Grill restaurants in the Phoenix area was scheduled to be sentenced June 1 after he pleaded guilty to a felony charge in federal court.
Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales, 37, admitted March 10 in front of U.S. Magistrate Alison Bachus that in October 2024 he sent a photograph via text of an Arizona driver’s license and a Social Security card to an undocumented job applicant so the applicant could pass an E-Verify employment screening to get a job at Zipps.
Gonzalez-Rosales also admitted that he knew the Arizona driver’s license and the Social Security card belonged to a real person.
Gonzalez-Rosales’ sentence shall not exceed the greater of five months in prison or time served, according to the plea agreement.
Gonzalez-Rosales, who is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, according to court documents, also faces possible deportation, Bachus noted.
He pleaded guilty to a felony offense of unlawful transfer, possession or use of a means of identification. The class C felony carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, Bachus said.
Gonzalez-Rosales appeared in court wearing orange prison garb, his wrists shackled to a chain around his chest. He answered the magistrate’s questions in Spanish.
He is one of four undocumented Zipps workers to be criminally charged after federal immigration enforcement agents on Jan. 26 raided all 14 Zipps restaurants in the Phoenix area and the Zipps offices in Scottsdale.
The raids prompted angry demonstrations at several locations, including some where protesters said they were pepper-sprayed by agents.
The raid followed a yearlong federal investigation after federal immigration agents received a tip in February 2025 alleging that Zipps Sports Grill restaurants regularly employed undocumented workers to staff their kitchens, according to criminal complaints filed against some of the undocumented workers, including Gonzalez-Rosales.
The tip asserted that management was aware employees were using fraudulent documents to gain employment, according to the criminal complaints.
Gonzalez-Rosales, so far, is the most senior worker to be criminally charged.
During a bond hearing on Feb. 3, federal public defender Rachel Gendreau said in court that Zipps Sports Grill management knew the restaurant regularly hired undocumented workers, but they haven’t faced the same consequences as Gonzalez-Rosales.
Zipps manager pleads guilty to sharing photo of Arizona ID
