Former Zipps kitchen manager sentenced after ICE raids

A kitchen manager for Zipps Sports Grill was sentenced to five months in prison on Monday for his role in providing fraudulent identification to undocumented staff. 

Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales agreed to a plea deal with federal prosecutors in March, admitting to sharing a photo of a person’s driver’s license and Social Security card to help a friend get a job at Zipps, which is a felony. He also entered the country illegally, according to court documents, and could be deported. 

Gonzalez-Rosales is one of four Zipps employees arrested and indicted following a massive Homeland Security Investigation that led to raids on the chain’s 15 Valley locations in January. 

The investigation and raids targeting undocumented workers started shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office.

Those raids drew protestors to the sports bars Valleywide. Tensions between demonstrators and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents ran high. At one Phoenix Zipps location, an agent pepper-sprayed demonstrators. In the aftermath, widespread protests ensued, and people shut down their businesses or raised funds in solidarity.

Following his sentencing, Gonzalez-Rosales’ attorney Debbie Jang called the case a demonstration of “the hollowness of this administration’s so-called priorities of going after the worst of the worst and the most serious criminals.”

The Zipps investigation timeline

HSI began investigating Zipps in February 2025 after receiving a tip that Zipps employed illegal aliens in its kitchens, according to court documents. The tipster also shared that “management is aware” that those employees used fraudulent documents to verify their work eligibility.

In March, HSI served the 15 Zipps locations and its corporate headquarters with a Notice of Inspection requiring the company to produce the past two years of its I-9 forms, which new employees complete to verify their identity.

Reviewers of those forms and reports from the Arizona Department of Economic Security found 76 Zipps employees who each had between three and 42 active employers other than Zipps during that period. Court documents state that’s “consistent with aggravated identity fraud.”

During the raid on Jan. 26, 39 people were arrested, including Gonzalez-Rosales. He would become the central figure in the government’s case and faced five charges alleging he provided stolen identities to undocumented employees.

‘Key facilitator’ or ‘scapegoat’

Gonzalez-Rosales came to the U.S. in 2006, per court documents. His first job was as a dishwasher at Zipps. He bought and used fake identification to get the job and worked his way up to kitchen manager. In that role, he oversaw Zipps’ kitchen staff, vetting their experience, conducting interviews and choosing the location where applicants worked, the court documents said, referring to him as a “key facilitator in bringing on new kitchen staff.” 

Gonzalez-Rosales provided a friend with a photo of an Arizona driver’s license and Social Security card of a real person, called “J.J.Z.” in court documents, to get a job at Zipps.

After the sentencing, Gonzalez-Rosales’ attorney Debbie Jang noted in an email that he is the only person from Zipps in a management position who has faced charges. She called him a “pawn” and a “scapegoat.”

“This case highlights the unfairness of having Mr. Gonzales-Rosales take the fall for a company that systematically engages in unlawful hiring practices and a prosecuting agency that turns a blind eye once they’ve found someone easy to blame,” Jang said. “Mr. Gonzales-Rosales has taken responsibility; Zipps has not.”

David Leibowitz, a spokesperson for Zipps, said in an email that the company is focused on “the successful operation of our restaurants, supporting our employees, and serving our guests.”

He continued: “The legal case involving Diego Armando Gonzalez-Rosales has now been addressed by the justice system. Defense attorneys often make statements intended to generate sympathy for their clients, and we do not intend to engage in a public back-and-forth over this issue. Our attention remains where it belongs: on our restaurants, our teams, and the customers who continue to enjoy Zipps.”

Phoenix New Times has also contacted the U.S. Attorney’s Office for additional comment on the conclusion of this case. 

The three other Zipps employees who faced charges for filing fraudulent I-9 forms — Ludwin Benjamin Perez Velasco, Edwin Flores Rosales and Salvador Villanueva-Rosas — have taken plea deals. 

In pleading guilty, Jang notes Gonzalez-Rosales “admitted to the conduct, accepts responsibility, and faces punishment — forfeiting his employment, his liberty and the life he has built here in the U.S.”

Once he completes his sentence, his status in the country is unclear.

Salvador Macias, who owns the immigration and criminal defense law firm Macias Law, explained that after an undocumented person serves time for a crime, ICE agents can place a hold on them and detain them once they’re released from prison. Once ICE detains them, they will be brought before immigration judge who considers their case.

“It’s very likely that the judge will find that he doesn’t have any relief options,” Macias says, “and that ultimately he will be deported.”