Agents from the Department of Homeland Security raided as many as 15 7-Eleven convenience stores in New York and Virginia early Monday morning, multiple reports indicated, as reported by the Huffington Post. Nine store owners and managers were arrested on charges of harboring and hiring undocumented immigrants.
The store owners also stand accused of wire fraud and using fake Social Security numbers to pay their workers, news reports said.
Federal authorities said that the raids are a part of an investigation into human smuggling, identity theft and money laundering, according to the Associated Press.
The respective store owners allegedly helped smuggle the workers into the U.S. from Pakistan. A majority of the simultaneous raids happened in Suffolk County, Long Island. The owners of the raided stores will be charged with harboring undocumented immigrants, and for not paying the minimum wage to their employees.
7-Eleven officials wrote in an e-mailed statement to the Huffington Post that the convenience store chain will be cooperating with federal authorities.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and federal prosecutors in Brooklyn were also investigating 40 other 7-Eleven franchises in New York City and elsewhere, the person said, and the prosecutors were seeking $30 million in forfeiture from the stores and their corporate parent, the New York Times reported. The franchises split their profits with the corporation, which handles the store payrolls, the people said.
The conduct charged in the indictment, the people said, had been going on for more than a decade. Twenty-five of the 40 additional 7-Eleven franchises under scrutiny were to be inspected on Monday as part of the ongoing investigation, the people said.
Scott Matter, a spokesman for the franchise, said it was aware of the arrests and seizures and "has been cooperating with federal authorities during their investigation." Mr. Matter said the company would have no comment until it learned more about the case.
