Homeland Security Investigations and other law enforcement agencies executed federal search warrants at five Colt Grill restaurants and 12 residences in two states on Tuesday, July 15, after a three-year labor exploitation investigation and a five-count federal indictment against four individuals in Arizona, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
HSI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General’s Labor Racketeering and Fraud investigations executed 28 federal search warrants and four federal arrest warrants in Cottonwood, the Village of Oak Creek, Prescott, Prescott Valley, Sedona and Yavapai County, and Foley, Ala., related to illicit money laundering, labor exploitation and human smuggling,” HSI Southwest Deputy Communications Chief Yasmeen Pitts O’Keefe wrote in an email July 15.
On Tuesday, May 27, a grand jury in Phoenix returned an indictment against Robert and Brenda Clouston, both 61, residents of Northern Arizona, and Luis Pedro Rogel-Jaimes, age 33, and Iris Romero-Molina, age 29, both Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States and residing in Cottonwood, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Charges include:
- conspiracy to transport illegal aliens
- conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens
- conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to unlawfully enter the United States
- and pattern and practice of knowingly employing unauthorized aliens
The indictment alleges that Robert and Brenda Clouston operated four Colt Grill restaurants in the Northern Arizona, specifically in Olt Town Cottonwood, Prescott, Prescott Valley and the Village of Oak Creek, and one Colt Grill in Foley, Ala.
In September 2022, the Cloustons, Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina allegedly made a plan that Romero-Molina would create a cleaning company, R&R AZ Cleaning, that would operate as a staffing company for the Colt Grill restaurants, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina allegedly would then find undocumented workers to work at the restaurants, paying them through R&R AZ Cleaning with funds from Colt Grill.
The undocumented workers were allegedly paid below minimum wage and were not compensated for overtime, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Cloustons, Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina allegedly benefited financially from the plan and did not pay proper employment taxes for the workers.
All four were arrested on July 15 without incident. While executing the warrants, law enforcement also arrested several undocumented illegal aliens for criminal or administrative immigration violations.
“Over 20 immigration related arrests also took place, but that number has not been finalized as interviews are ongoing,” Pitts O’Keefe wrote in an email July 15.
“Cooperation is the cornerstone for law enforcement in Arizona and this case demonstrates the great outcome that comes from federal and local law enforcement working together,” U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine said. “The United States Attorney’s Office is grateful to HSI for their hard work on this investigation and extremely appreciative to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office for their support and willingness to keep their community safe from bad actors.”
“The success of this investigation is in large part due to the coordinated efforts of many law enforcement agencies working alongside HSI through the Homeland Security Task Forces,” said Ray Rede, acting special agent in charge for HSI Arizona. “This multiyear case involving several federal charges is a testament of our commitment to combatting crime that has true impact to communities. I thank everyone involved – this case was true team effort.”
“On behalf of the citizens of Yavapai County, I want to thank our federal partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and all our local agencies for their collaboration with the men and women of Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office in dismantling this criminal enterprise,” Yavapai County Sheriff David Rhodes stated. “Coordinated, multi-agency enforcement actions like this one are essential to protecting our communities from the destabilizing impacts of organized crime. By working together, we will continue to leverage every available resource to safeguard the people of Yavapai County from those who seek to do harm.”
A conviction for conspiracy to bring illegal aliens to the United States unlawfully, conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, and conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to unlawfully enter the United States each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine. A conviction for pattern and practice of knowingly employing unauthorized aliens carries a maximum penalty of six months in prison and up to a $3,000 fine per unauthorized employee, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.”
HSI is conducting the federal investigation in this case. The Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office assisted with execution of the search warrants. The United States Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona in Phoenix, is handling the prosecution.
Federal Indictment
Clouston-et-al-Indictment-CR-25-08086Photos of the raid in Old Town Cottonwood by Daulton Venglar/Larson Newspapers
Daulton Venglar/Larson Newspapers
Daulton Venglar/Larson Newspapers
Photos of the raid in the Village of Oak Creek by David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
David Jolkovski/Larson Newspapers
Photos of the raid in Foley, Alabama, photos courtesy of Micah Green/Gulf Coast Media
“Multiple federal, state and local agencies on scene at Colt Grill BBQ and Spirits in Foley at the corner of Alston and Hwy 98 conducting a criminal investigation involving alleged criminal activity including money laundering and labor exploitation that is tied to all locations of the Colt Grill, including 4 in Arizona.” — Micah Green / Gulf Coast Media
