Lauren Cusimano
Audio By Carbonatix
On Monday afternoon, federal agents raided several Zipps Sports Grill locations in the Valley. Social media filled with photos of armed and masked federal agents at several Zipps locations, including the locations at Park Central, 32nd Street and Shea Boulevard and 16th Street and Bethany Home.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, agents with Homeland Security Investigations — a division of the Department of Homeland Security — served federal warrants “at 15 locations throughout the Phoenix area.” The warrants are being served as “part of a months-long criminal investigation,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release, and the warrants “are being executed as part of a criminal investigation into felony violations of federal law.”
The release did not name Zipps specifically or say what violations are being investigated. There are 14 Zipps locations in the Valley. Messages to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and Goldman Management Inc., the entity that manages the Zipps chain, were not returned.
Federal agents have hit other restaurants in the Valley and Arizona since Donald Trump reentered the White House. Last year, agents arrested the proprietor of the Taco Loko bus, who later pleaded guilty to employing undocumented workers. In Tucson, federal agents raided a popular taqueria, sparking a protest that resulted in Rep. Adelita Grijalva and other protesters being hit with pepper spray. Agents also raided four Colt Grill locations in Northern Arizona and a sushi chain in the Valley, both for allegedly employing workers who lacked legal status.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
