Various Government Agencies Investigating Chipotle’s Hiring Practices

Chipotle Mexican Grill has filed a report with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) advising that the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia “is conducting an investigation into possible criminal securities law violations relating to our employee work authorization verification compliance and related disclosures and statements.” The probe follows investigations into the company’s compliance with immigration laws by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement arm and public disclosure requirements by SEC. According to news sources, the company, which has indicated its intent to fully cooperate with the investigations, was forced to fire some 450 employees in 2011, after it learned that illegal immigrants had been hired to work in its Minnesota restaurants. Since then, the company has reportedly been using Homeland Security’s E-Verify system to confirm employee eligibility. See Reuters and Law360, May 18, 2012; Bloomberg, May 21, 2012,