Zipps Hiring Manager to Plead Guilty to Federal Identity Theft, Hiring Fraud

Diego Armando Gonzalez‑Rosales, the kitchen supervisor who oversaw hiring at Zipps Sports Grill’s 14‑location Arizona chain, has signaled he will plead guilty to federal identity‑theft and related unlawful hiring charges, according to court filings dated Feb. 17 and news reports published Feb. 27. The filings say Gonzalez‑Rosales will plead guilty to the unlawful transfer, possession, or use of a means of identification; other outlets report aggravated identity theft and continuous hiring of unauthorized workers among the broader allegations.

Federal investigators say the case stems from an HSI probe that began after a tip in February 2025. HSI requested Form I‑9 paperwork and Arizona Department of Economic Security wage reports in March 2025, then executed search warrants at all 14 Zipps locations and Goldie’s Sports Cafe in Scottsdale on Jan. 26, 2026. More than 35 people were arrested during the raids on suspicion of immigration‑related violations, agency statements reported following the Jan. 26 actions.

Court filings and investigative reports describe a discrete act on Oct. 17, 2024, when Gonzalez‑Rosales texted photos of a real applicant’s Arizona driver’s license and Social Security card to another applicant to help that person obtain employment at Zipps. He admitted to investigators that he sent the documents without authorization to help an individual identified in reporting as “Torres” use a false identity to secure work and that he used his position to facilitate the unauthorized transfer of identification documents to bypass the E‑Verify system.

Gonzalez‑Rosales at first pleaded not guilty in early February, but filings dated Feb. 17 indicate a move toward a guilty plea and a change‑of‑plea hearing scheduled for March 10, 2026. Reporting notes a discrepancy in name spelling in one account, where Gonzalez‑Rosales appears as Gonzales‑Rosales; most outlets use Gonzalez‑Rosales. Court documents also reflect his long tenure at the company, with one report saying he began at Zipps in 2006 and another noting 15 to 20 years of employment, during which he interviewed applicants and reviewed hiring paperwork.

HSI’s review of Zipps’ records allegedly identified widespread misuse of I‑9s, with one report stating investigators flagged 76 employees who had three to 42 active employers other than Zipps. Investigators quoted employees describing fake IDs as “poorly made, like a playing card,” and court notes record Gonzalez‑Rosales telling agents that “every manager knows that many of the IDs that are used are fake” and that staff were rehired under multiple different names.

If convicted on the identity‑theft count, Gonzalez‑Rosales faces statutory penalties that include up to 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and up to three years of supervised release; he has acknowledged in filings that deportation is “practically inevitable” following a felony conviction. The March 10 change‑of‑plea hearing will formalize whether he enters a guilty plea and is the next scheduled public step in the case.