Federal authorities have raided over a dozen 7-Eleven stores in New York and Virginia today, and the allegations against the owners of those franchises are quite severe. Authorities obtained warrants on claims that nine owners had been harboring undocumented immigrants as workers, in effect creating a "modern day plantation system."

The story was first broken by the Associated Press today. Official said up to 30 other stores are being investigated with search warrants for similar charges. As the AP reports, the infractions of the suspected businesses are not just a simple case of employing undocumented immigrants.

"Federal indictments naming eight men and one woman allege that since 2000 they employed more than 50 immigrants who didn't have permission to be in the U.S. They tried to conceal the immigrants' employment by stealing the identities of about two dozen people -- including those of the child, the dead and a Coast Guard cadet -- and submitting the information to the 7-Eleven payroll department."

It goes further than just identity fraud, however. The suspected owners of the businesses are believed to have grossly mistreated the employees they hired. As one New York lawyer observes, their actions equated to little more than a re-institution of slavery in America.

"The defendants not only systematically employed illegal immigrants, but concealed their crimes by raiding the cradle and the grave to steal the identities of children and even the dead,"claimed Loretta E. Lynch, the United States attorney in Brooklyn.  "Finally, these defendants ruthlessly exploited their immigrant employees, stealing their wages and requiring them to live in unregulated boarding houses, in effect creating a modern day plantation system.

It is important to note that these actions were not ordered by 7-Eleven as a whole. The stores in question were franchised out to individuals and were not given orders by their parent company to carry out the alleged illegal activities. 7-Eleven has vowed to do everything they can to help bring justice against the suspected criminals.

"7-Eleven, Inc. has cooperated with the government's investigation. All of our franchise owners must operate their stores in accordance with laws and the 7-Eleven franchise agreement. 7-Eleven, Inc. will take aggressive actions to audit the employment status of all its franchisees' employees," said 7-11 in a statement e-mailed to the Huffington Post. 

The illegal employees are now being held in U.S. custody and will likely face deportation soon. As for the store owners, they will now face charges of wire fraud conspiracy, harboring illegal immigrants and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, they could face up to 20 years in prison.