Federal agents Tuesday raided five Colt Grill restaurants and a dozen homes in Yavapai County and Alabama after a three-year investigation into labor exploitation.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Arizona, four people, including Robert and Brenda Clouston, the operators of Colt Grill, and two Mexican nationals living in Cottonwood, face federal charges. They are accused of conspiring to hire undocumented workers through a shell cleaning company, underpaying them, and skirting employment taxes.
All four were arrested Monday. Authorities also took several undocumented individuals into custody.
If convicted, the defendants could face up to ten years in prison per count.
The case is part of “Operation Take Back America,” a national crackdown on illegal immigration and organized crime.
Federal officials praised the joint effort between Homeland Security, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and local law enforcement in dismantling what they call a criminal enterprise.