Two former Colt Grill employees pleaded guilty in a federal labor case involving undocumented workers at restaurants in Arizona and Alabama.
— Two former employees tied to Colt Grill are now awaiting sentencing after admitting to their roles in an undocumented labor scheme spanning several Arizona restaurants and one in Alabama.
According to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office, Luis Pedro Rogel-Jaimes, 34, and Iris Cristal Romero-Molina, 30, admitted to employing undocumented workers at locations in Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona, Cottonwood and Foley, Alabama. Both Mexican nationals, who prosecutors say were in the country illegally and living in Cottonwood, are in federal custody and are scheduled to be sentenced in June. The guilty pleas are the latest development in a years-long labor exploitation investigation.
In May 2025, a federal grand jury indicted four people: Robert and Brenda Clouston, both 61, of northern Arizona, along with Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina. The indictment alleged the Cloustons operated Colt Grill restaurants in Cottonwood, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona and Foley. Prosecutors said the group created a plan in 2022 for Romero-Molina to form R&R AZ Cleaning, which allegedly functioned as a staffing company for the restaurants.
In July 2025, Homeland Security Investigations, YCSO and other agencies executed search warrants at multiple Colt Grill locations and several homes in Arizona and Alabama. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina recruited undocumented workers for the restaurants, who were paid through R&R AZ Cleaning using funds from Colt Grill.
Two former Colt Grill employees have admitted to their roles in what federal prosecutors described as a yearslong labor scheme involving undocumented workers at restaurants in Arizona and Alabama. Prosecutors alleged the workers were paid below minimum wage, were not compensated for overtime and that proper employment taxes were not paid. Authorities also said several other people were arrested during the search warrants for criminal or administrative immigration violations.
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Phoenix News Yavapai County Sheriff's Office Luis Pedro Rogel-Jaimes Colt Grill Iris Cristal Romero-Molina Cottonwood News Sedona News Prescott Valley News Prescott News
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