Raid of 7-Eleven yields exploited Filipino workers, abuser Filipino manager
Ramon Nanas, 49, of Great River, New York was one of nine 7-Eleven store owners and managers indicted for allegedly exploiting undocumented workers.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the employees of several 7-Eleven convenience stores spread across Long Island in New York and Norfolk, Virginia were exploited, their wages stolen and were required to live in unregulated boarding houses, said Consul General Mario de Leon Jr. in a statement.
U.S. authorities have not yet released the names of the more than 50 employees who included a still undetermined number of Filipinos.
But de Leon said the U.S. authorities “have made it clear that the employees have not been arrested, detained or charged for any offense and are considered victims of exploitation.”
“They will serve as witnesses and will appear in a hearing scheduled on July 18 at the Eastern District Court of New York,” he said.
The consulate will provide assistance to all the Filipinos involved in this case, including Nanas, who was indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, stealing identities and concealing and harboring illegal immigrants.
“We also want to check the condition of the Filipino nationals involved in order to determine the kind of assistance that could be extended to them,” Ambassador Jose Cuisia said in a statement.
Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven operates, franchises or licenses more than 10,100 stores in North America. It has some 50,500 stores in 16 countries. During 2012, 7-Eleven stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.8 billion, according to the company.
This is not the first nor the last case of Filipino abusing TNT’s working in the USA. This is a wide spread problems in all the ethnic communities in the USA including the FilAm community in the USA.