Immigration7-Eleven stores used stolen social security numbers to pay illegal immigrants

One of fourteen 7-11 stores closed by federal authorities // Source: ice.gov

Federal authorities shut down fourteen 7-Eleven stores in New York and Virginia on Monday, charging nine owners with hiring and harboring illegal immigrants and paying them with social security numbers of other citizens.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and federal prosecutors say forty additional 7-Eleven’s are still under investigation.

The New York Times reports that prosecutors are now trying to seize $30 million in forfeitures from the stores and the 7-Eleven parent corporation, which handles payrolls for individual franchises.

Prosecutors say that the parent company did not have enough internal controls to prevent the same social security numbers from being used more than once to pay employees.

Officials say the owners hired more than fifty illegal immigrants and provided them with identities stolen from U.S. citizens, including children and deceased citizens, had them live in houses they owned, and stole significant portions of their wages. Officials added that this has been going on since 2000.

The store owners being charged made over $182 million in profits from the scheme.

“From their 7-Eleven stores the defendants dispensed wire fraud and identity theft, along with Slurpees and hot dogs,” Loretta Lynch, a U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, told theTimes. “In bedroom communities across Long Island and Virginia, the defendants not only systematically employed illegal immigrants but concealed their crimes by raiding the cradle and grave to steal the identity of children and even the dead.”

Lynch added that the owners “ruthlessly exploited their immigrant employees,” forcing them to live in unregulated boardinghouses and “creating a modern-day plantation system.”

Eight men and one woman, most of whom are Pakistanis, were charged with wire fraud conspiracy,  aggravated identity theft, and additional charges.

Twenty-five of the forty additional 7-Eleven franchises under investigation are to be inspected this week as part of the ongoing investigation.

Scott Matter, a spokesman for the 7-Eleven parent company, said they are aware of the situation, and that te company “has been cooperating with federal authorities during their investigation.” Matter said the company would have no comment until it learned more about the case.