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Eugene

(61,899 posts) Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:20 PM Jun 2013

7-Eleven Stores Operated 'Modern Day Plantation System,' Feds Claim

Source: ABC News

7-Eleven Stores Operated 'Modern Day Plantation System,' Feds Claim

By AARON KATERSKY (@aaronkatersky) and ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb)
June 17, 2013

The owners of 7-Eleven franchises in New York and Virginia created a "modern day plantation system" in which undocumented workers were furnished with stolen identities and forced to work 100 hours a week for a fraction of their wages, according to a federal authorities.

Ten stores in New York and four in Virginia were seized today as part of the federal investigation which found the undocumented workers from Pakistan were given identities stolen from children and the deceased, according to federal prosecutor Loretta E. Lynch.

"The 7-11 franchises seized today will be better known for their big fraud than their Big Gulp," said James Hayes, special agent in charge of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement's office of investigations in New York.

Nine people, including store owners and managers, were charged today with conspiring to commit wire fraud, stealing identities and harboring undocumented immigrants, Lynch said.

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13 replies

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Highlight:

7-Eleven Stores Operated 'Modern Day Plantation System,' Feds Claim (Original Post) Eugene Jun 2013 OP

Shocker! pipoman Jun 2013 #1

Holy crap. Starry Messenger Jun 2013 #2

Three stores are in Portsmouth and Chesapeake... Gin Jun 2013 #3

The Capitalist end state. nt bemildred Jun 2013 #4

I hope the higher-ups wind up serving 7 to 11 hard time. Orrex Jun 2013 #5

I kind of had a tip off on this JustAnotherGen Jun 2013 #6

free market capitalism. Baitball Blogger Jun 2013 #7

Just more gubmint regalatin', keeping bidness from doing smart things like slavery. Scuba Jun 2013 #8

When making money over all else becomes the ONLY reason for a business, this is the result SoCalDem Jun 2013 #9

Biden is vindicated. n/t cigsandcoffee Jun 2013 #10

Really? Iliyah Jun 2013 #11

kick Liberal_in_LA Jun 2013 #12

The only shocker is that they got caught. Cal Carpenter Jun 2013 #13

pipoman

(16,038 posts)

1. Shocker!

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:25 PM

Jun 2013

Starry Messenger

(32,342 posts)

2. Holy crap.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:27 PM

Jun 2013

Gin

(7,212 posts)

3. Three stores are in Portsmouth and Chesapeake...

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:27 PM

Jun 2013

Bastids.

bemildred

(90,061 posts)

4. The Capitalist end state. nt

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:27 PM

Jun 2013

Orrex

(63,213 posts)

5. I hope the higher-ups wind up serving 7 to 11 hard time.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:30 PM

Jun 2013

JustAnotherGen

(31,828 posts)

6. I kind of had a tip off on this

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:34 PM

Jun 2013

About a year ago. Note this:

The workers, who are said to be from Pakistan, were also forced to live in boarding houses and pay rent to their employers, according to federal authorities, who said at least 18 undocumented workers were found today and could be deported.

A Legal Resident Alien would NOT be getting deported for being abused, mistreated, and enslaved. And this is why we need a safe way (Dream Act/Immigration Bill) for people to come out of the shadows.

Note: My husband is a 'green card holder' in layman's terms but it actually read Resident Alien card holder on the top of the card . . . so the terminology is what the Dream Acters and such would be REQUIRED to use when coming into the US after a trip abroad and/or when signing legal papers, financial transactions, etc. etc. I know this first hand.

May they ALL be able to come out of the shadows and stop this shit.

Baitball Blogger

(46,717 posts)

7. free market capitalism.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:38 PM

Jun 2013

Exploit at will.

Scuba

(53,475 posts)

8. Just more gubmint regalatin', keeping bidness from doing smart things like slavery.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 01:56 PM

Jun 2013

SoCalDem

(103,856 posts)

9. When making money over all else becomes the ONLY reason for a business, this is the result

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 02:36 PM

Jun 2013

This is why we need a minimum wage that is considerably higher. If a business owner has to pay $12.50 an hour, he/she might as well pay that to a trained, acclimated, legal worker. Even at that higher wage, it would be hard to support a family, but it would remove a LOT of the incentive for the massive cheating that goes on now. Many of these unfortunate people probably know that minimum wage is $7 something, so maybe they agree to work for 5 or 6, in hopes that they will soon catch up...but if they knew that minimum wage was $12.50 or more in some areas, they would probably be less willing to work for much less. That could open up jobs for legal workers who are trapped jobs where they are competing with undocumented workers.

cigsandcoffee

(2,300 posts)

10. Biden is vindicated. n/t

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 02:41 PM

Jun 2013

Iliyah

(25,111 posts)

11. Really?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 03:32 PM

Jun 2013

Liberal_in_LA

(44,397 posts)

12. kick

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 04:09 PM

Jun 2013

Cal Carpenter

(4,959 posts)

13. The only shocker is that they got caught.

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Mon Jun 17, 2013, 07:47 PM

Jun 2013

I'm not saying anything about 711 in particular. Just in general, these things happen. They rarely get busted.

These are just the ones who got caught. Shit like this is happening, and worse. In every state of the motherfucking union. Trust.

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