Investigation finds 10-year-olds working at a Louisville McDonald's until 2 a.m.

Two 10-year-old boys were found working at a Louisville McDonald's restaurant, sometimes as late as 2 a.m., the US Department of Labor said Tuesday.

The disclosure was part of an investigation into violations of child labor law in the southeastern United States.

The agency also found that three franchisees that own more than 60 McDonald's locations in Kentucky, Indiana, Maryland and Ohio, "employed 305 children to work more than legally permitted hours and perform tasks prohibited by law for young workers," the Department of Labor said in a statement.

The franchisees, Bauer Food, Archways Richwood and Bell Restaurant Group, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"Investigators with the department's Wage and Hour Division found two 10-year-old workers at a Louisville McDonald's restaurant among many federal labor law violations committed by three McDonald's franchise operators in Kentucky," the statement said.

"Investigators also determined that two 10-year-old boys were employed, but not paid, sometimes working until 2 a.m.."

The three franchises face combined civil penalties of $212,754 for the child labor violations, according to the statement.

"Too often, employers fail to follow child labor laws that protect young workers," Karen Garnett-Civils, district director of the agency's wage and hour division, said in a statement.

"Under no circumstances should a 10-year-old child be working in a fast-food kitchen around hot grills, ovens, and deep fryers."