An undocumented worker from North Carolina who once regularly toiled 70-hour weeks now faces 24 felony charges related to collecting her paycheck.

According to ThinkProgress, Miriam Martinez Solais, 28, ultimately quit her job at Vesuvio's Pizza & Grill just before filing suit alleging that she had been paid far less than what she earned, which even with the overtime averaged out to only about $400 per week.

The North Carolina Department of Labor and the federal Labor Department both launched investigations into the allegations soon after Solais formally filed complaint, but it wasn't long before she found herself on the defensive.

After getting wind of Solais' suit restaurant owner Giovannis D'Abbusco reportedly hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on his former employee, in time learning of her undocumented status.

Soon after the New Year, Solais was collared on identity theft charges after investigators from the Roxbury Police Department were tipped that she had allegedly been using the social security number of someone from California. Among all the outstanding counts she now faces is the charge of "obtaining property by false pretenses," the said "property" coming in the form of her paycheck.

Attorneys for Solais recently filed motions with the court seeking to have the case tossed on grounds only the federal government has the authority to prosecute someone accused of violating civil immigration laws.

Just three years ago, the Supreme Court ruled only the government can criminally charge undocumented immigrants of offenses like using fake documents to gain employment. Still, that hasn't stopped states like North Carolina from threatening such suspects with criminal prosecution.

As for North Carolina, the state is one of a growing number that now openly boasts of wanting to crack down even more on immigrants by making use of local law enforcement. Over the next month, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory is expected to sign a bill banning sanctuary cities, otherwise known as measures which prohibit local law enforcement agencies from investigating or criminalizing people solely based on their immigration status.