A 44-year-old Grand Prairie woman has been indicted on a federal charge after federal agents say she tried to arrange an armed robbery of the very Golden Chick restaurant where she worked, unknowingly recruiting an undercover ATF agent to help pull it off. Laura Gonzalez was arrested today, before the alleged plot could unfold, and a federal grand jury indicted her last Tuesday on a charge of interfering with commerce by robbery.
According to FOX 4 News, the scheme traces back to last Thursday, when Gonzalez messaged an acquaintance on Facebook Messenger asking for a $500 loan to cover vehicle payments. After being turned down, she allegedly suggested robbing the Golden Chick location instead — not realizing the person she was messaging was cooperating with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. That contact connected Gonzalez with an undercover ATF special agent, and according to court filings cited by the Dallas Express, she communicated with the person she believed could help carry out the robbery between August 3 and August 6.
Prosecutors say Gonzalez identified the Golden Chick at 3051 East Mayfield Road in Grand Prairie as the intended target, per investigators. She allegedly provided employee schedules, a hand-drawn diagram of the restaurant, camera locations, information about the safe and expected cash on hand, and instructions for entering through an unlocked rear door. She also reportedly encouraged the robbery to happen during early morning hours while employees were present, and allegedly discussed using firearms during the robbery.
Insider Video Allegedly Showed the Path to the Safe
On August 6, the same day she was arrested, Gonzalez allegedly recorded and sent video footage from inside the restaurant showing the route to the safe and the location of the digital video recorder that captured security footage, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Investigators say she also planned to be present at the restaurant during the robbery to make the situation look less suspicious, and she was expected to receive between $3,000 and $4,000 of the proceeds. FOX 4 News reported that after the initial digital exchanges, Gonzalez met directly in person with the undercover agent to detail employee counts, safe access procedures, and camera locations before agents made the arrest.
The case was investigated by the ATF Dallas Field Division, and it's being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas under U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould. Raybould said the ATF's swift action and thorough investigation stopped a dangerous scheme before anyone was harmed. Brian Garner said the case demonstrates the importance of investigating potential violent crimes before they happen. The criminal complaint's allegations remain accusations, and Gonzalez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Why a Fast-Food Robbery Became a Federal Case
Federal prosecutors established jurisdiction under the Hobbs Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1951, because Golden Chick operates in multiple states and relies on interstate supply chains and internet-based services, meaning the planned conduct would have affected interstate commerce. Founded in 1967 in San Marcos, Texas, and now headquartered in Richardson, Golden Chick has grown to more than 210 franchise locations spread across Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida, according to background compiled on Wikipedia.
If convicted, Gonzalez faces up to 20 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release following any prison term. This isn't the first time federal prosecutors have used Hobbs Act robbery charges to pursue a case tied to Grand Prairie: the Department of Justice noted that in July 2025, a defendant was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for a violent multi-city robbery spree that included a Grand Prairie cash loan store, underscoring how federal task forces in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex have leaned on the statute against commercial robberies.
Grand Prairie, which spans Dallas, Tarrant, and Ellis counties in the Metroplex, is home to an estimated 212,000 residents and ranks as the 15th most populous city in Texas, according to World Population Review. The city's growth has made it a focal point for regional law enforcement task forces working alongside federal agencies on violent crime cases.
Another Texas Golden Chick Made Headlines This Summer
This is not the only Golden Chick location that has drawn attention recently. Hoodline previously reported on a Beaumont shooting in which a 19-year-old gunshot victim sought help from staff inside a Golden Chick franchise before collapsing outside, with employees locking the doors to protect workers while keeping the drive-thru running. That incident, unrelated to the Grand Prairie case, highlighted separate safety and operational concerns playing out at Golden Chick franchises elsewhere in Texas.
