Arizona
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The husband and wife owners of the popular Colt Grill BBQ and Spirits restaurants in northern Arizona are accused of hiring and harboring undocumented immigrants to work at their restaurants through an elaborate scheme, according to federal prosecutors.
Robert and Brenda Clouston, both 61, were arrested after federal agents raided the restaurants and several residences in Yavapai County, and a Colt Grill restaurant in Foley, Alabama on July 15, federal prosecutors said.
Two others, Luis Pedro Rogel-Jaimes, 33, and Iris Romero-Molina, 29, also were indicted, federal prosecutors said.
Roger-Jaimes and Romero-Molina are undocumented immigrants from Mexico, federal prosecutors said.
Under the scheme, the four people created a cleaning business, R&R AZ Cleaning, that was used to find undocumented immigrants to work at the restaurants, according to federal prosecutors.
The unauthorized workers were paid through the cleaning business with funds from the restaurants, federal prosecutors said.
The unauthorized workers were paid below minimum wage and were not compensated for overtime, federal prosecutors said.
The Cloustons, Roger-Jaimes and Romero-Molina benefited financially from the plan and did not pay proper employment taxes for the workers, federal prosecutors said.
The Cloustons, Roger-Jaimes and Romero-Molina were indicted by a grand jury on charges of conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to unlawfully enter the U.S., and a pattern and practice of knowingly employing unauthorized aliens, federal prosecutors said.
They face up to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for each of the conspiracy charges. They also face up to six months in prison and a $3,000 fine for each unauthorized employee for the pattern and practice charge, federal prosecutors said.
All four appeared in federal court in Phoenix on July 16, court records show. An arraignment hearing is set for July 21, court records show.
Several workers were also arrested on immigration violations as part of the raid, federal prosecutors said.
The arrests culminated a three-year investigation by federal and local law enforcement agencies led by Homeland Security Investigations, a division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Timothy Courchaine, the U.S. Attorney for the district of Arizona, said in a written statement.
The Cloustons operated four Colt Grill restaurants in Arizona, including Old Town Cottonwood, on Whiskey Row in downtown Prescott, in Prescott Valley and the village of Oak Creek in Sedona, according to the indictment.
The couple also operated a Colt Grill in Foley, AL.
Under federal law, employers are required to verify employees are authorized to legally work in the U.S. by completing I-9 forms, the indictment said.
In addition, under Arizona law, employers are required to use the federal government’s E-Verify electronic verification system to check the employment status of workers, the indictment said.
From at least Nov. 2021, Robert Clouston knew that Arizona state law required Colt Grill to pay time and a half for any work over 40 hours per week, the indictment said.
Clouston told a manager not to be concerned with receiving the required paperwork to properly calculate pay, taxes and workers’ compensation for some newly hired employees, stating those were “Pedro’s people,” the indictment said.
“Pedro” would bring workers up from Mexico and, on at least one occasion, was seen handing Rogel-Jaimes cash while allegedly discussing bringing more workers from Mexico, the indictment said.
In 2022, Robert Clouston instructed two managers at the Colt Grill restaurant in Sedona to fire U.S. citizen employees to create openings for undocumented workers from Mexico “for the purpose of having less expensive labor costs,” the indictment said.
Clouston leased several houses in Prescott, Prescott Valley and Cottonwood where undocumented workers who worked for his restaurants lived, the indictment said.
The case is part of the Trump administration’s Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to “repel the invasion of illegal immigration,” eliminate cartels and transnational criminal organizations and “protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona statement said.
Several local police departments assisted with scene security and ensuring public safety while the warrants were executed, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office said.
Photos posted on Facebook showed an armored vehicle and armed law enforcement personnel in military-style garb outside one of the Colt Grill locations.
A video posted on Instagram showed a woman who identified herself as Ximena crying outside the Colt Grill restaurant in Sedona, saying her father had just been arrested by ICE as part of the raid.
“My dad used to work here at Colt Grill. ICE just randomly came and they took him. He didn’t do anything. He didn’t have no criminal record. They just showed up and they want to take him to Phoenix,” she says. “He was the one who brought everything to the house. I don’t know what I am going to do without him.”
Colt Grill is a small group of BBQ restaurants with locations in Old Town Cottonwood, Prescott Valley, downtown Prescott, the village of Oak Creek, Sedona and downtown Foley, Alabama, according to the Colt Grill website.
“We are female-owned, family-run, and believe in the value of hard work, personal responsibility, and perseverance,” the website says.
No one answered the phone at any of the Colt Grill locations. A voice recording said the system had reached capacity and directed callers to the Colt Grill website.
Republic reporter Richard Ruelas contributed to this article.
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A conservative-leaning think tank is suing Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes over her office’s refusal to fully disclose records related to allegations of rental price-fixing involving major landlords and a property management software company.
The Goldwater Institute filed a public records lawsuit against Mayes, demanding she reveal how many people have filed complaints related to the allegations.
In a news release, the think tank said Mayes has refused to state how many Arizonans claimed the alleged conspiracy actually harmed them.
In February 2024, the AG’s office sued nine landlords, including Avenue5, Greystar, RPM Living, and Weider. State officials also named RealPage, a property management software company, in the lawsuit, alleging it colluded with others to inflate rental prices across metro Phoenix.
The Goldwater Institute said it had requested full complaint records from Mayes’ office but reportedly only received a numerical count of complaints, without the underlying records.
“I firmly believe in vindicating Arizona’s Public Records Law, which exists to ensure that government remains accountable to the people it serves,” said Michael Bloom, an attorney for the American Freedom Network, which is representing the Goldwater Institute. “Transparency is the cornerstone of public trust.”
Goldwater officials said the AG’s office claimed the information was confidential, but they argue it is not protected under public records law.
The think tank also noted that Mayes’ lawsuit mirrors similar cases filed by other Democratic attorneys general, and partnered with a private law firm to pursue the case, similar to approaches taken in those other states.
Last year, the Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against RealPage, accusing it of an illegal scheme that allowed landlords to coordinate and hike up rent prices.
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GLOBE, AZ (AZFamily) — Arizona lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have sent a letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to swiftly approve Gov. Katie Hobbs’ request for a major disaster declaration for Gila and Mohave counties.
The move brings hope to communities like Globe, which are grappling with the aftermath of destructive and deadly floods in September and October.
Globe Mayor Al Gameros expressed his appreciation for the bipartisan effort.
“It’s amazing that letter was written in this shorter period of time,” Gameros said. “I’m glad that it’s a bipartisan letter. I’m glad that it’s urging the president to immediately sign this and not delay it, because it is important to our rural community.”
Included in the correspondence is a newly released damage assessment compiled by FEMA, the state, and local leaders.
The assessment of the two counties details significant destruction, including that 312 homes were damaged, with 64 destroyed, 89 suffering major damage, and 159 receiving minor damage. The total estimated loss in dollars is $33,579,081.
Gameros noted the challenges communities face in securing aid.
“We (other mayors) tried to learn, at the same time, learning what the complexity of filing for reimbursement,” he said.
He explained that while the state will reimburse towns up to 75% of costs, federal approval could mean up to 90% is paid back.
Now, Gameros is anxiously awaiting the Trump administration’s decision, hoping that if the disaster declaration is approved, the process won’t be slow.
“That would really put a hurt in our community as far as us being able to move forward,” he said.
In the meantime, he said they have restaurants open in Globe and urges Arizonans to pay them a visit.
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Kansas football QB Jalon Daniels reflects on loss against Arizona
Check out everything Kansas football quarterback Jalon Daniels had to say Saturday following a loss on the road against Arizona in Big 12 play.
LAWRENCE — Kansas football lost 24-20 on the road this past weekend against Arizona.
The Big 12 Conference defeat saw the Jayhawks (5-5, 3-4 in Big 12) come up short on what could have been the day it became bowl eligible this season. Coach Lance Leipold and company gave up a late lead against the Wildcats and suffered a disappointing defeat. Bowl eligibility is still possible, as KU navigates an open week, but with the loss, reaching that point has become all the more challenging.
Before Kansas’ season resumes Nov. 22 on the road against Iowa State, here are some bowl projections for the Jayhawks:
This projection places Kansas in the SERVPRO First Responder Bowl, scheduled for December 26 in Dallas, Texas. It would put the Jayhawks up against Boise State (6-3, 4-1 in Mountain West Conference). Boise State most recently lost against Fresno State, but is still in contention to play for its conference title.
These projections place Kansas in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl, scheduled for December 30 in Shreveport, Louisiana. One has KU facing Kennesaw State (7-2, 5-0 in Conference USA), while the other has KU facing Louisiana Tech (5-4, 3-3 in Conference USA). Kennesaw State beat Louisiana Tech earlier this season.
This projection places Kansas in the Scooter’s Coffee Frisco Bowl, which is set for Dec. 23 in Frisco, Texas. It would put the Jayhawks up against California (6-4, 3-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference). California is coming off of a win against now-No. 21 Louisville.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
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