Four individuals tied to a regional restaurant chain operating in Alabama and Arizona are facing federal charges following a multiyear investigation into allegations of employing illegal aliens and circumventing labor laws.
On May 27, 2025, a federal grand jury in Phoenix, Arizona, returned a five-count indictment against Robert Clouston and Brenda Clouston, both 61, of northern Arizona, along with Luis Pedro Rogel-Jaimes, 33, and Iris Romero-Molina, 29, both Mexican nationals illegally present in the United States.
The 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.
According to the indictment announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, the Cloustons are accused of operating five Colt Grill BBQ & Spirits locations in the cities of Cottonwood, Prescott, Prescott Valley, and Sedona, Arizona, as well as in Foley, Alabama.
The charges stem from a three-year investigation into labor exploitation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and partner agencies.
Federal authorities allege that in September 2022, the Cloustons, together with Rogel-Jaimes and Romero-Molina, devised a scheme to use a cleaning company as a cover to recruit and hire illegal aliens to work at the restaurant locations.
Romero-Molina is accused of creating a business entity named R&R AZ Cleaning, which prosecutors allege functioned as a front company to conceal the employment of unauthorized workers.
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