Drug trafficking, forcing migrant minors to work at hotels, visa fraud: Five Indian-Americans charged in Nebraska
Five Indian-Americans have been charged by the federal authorities for sex trafficking at several hotel locations owned, operated and managed by them in Nebraska. Kentakumar 'Ken' Chaudhari (36), Rashmi Ajit 'Falguni' Samani (42), Amit Prahladbhai 'Amit' Chaudhari (32), Amit Babubhai 'Matt' Chaudhari (33), and Maheshkumar 'Mahesh' Chaudhari (38) are the five Indian-Americans involved in the case.
Court documents said 10 minors were rescued during the operation from an alleged labor trafficking conspiracy that involved putting children under the age of 12 years old to work at hotels for long hours with little to no pay. The lodgings where they had to work were unclean, unsafe and unhealthy.
"On one occasion, a source working with the federal government entered a hotel room where immigrant victims were sleeping on the floor of the room with cockroaches crawling on the victims as they slept," the DOJ note said.
— USAO_NE (@USAO_NE)
US attorney Lesley Woods said: 'There is no evil greater than the evil that seeks to trap, oppress, and exploit human beings for profit or pleasure. Where that evil exists, Nebraska law enforcement working together at the federal, state, and local levels, as occurred in this case, will seek it, find it, root it out, and ensure every rescued victim has an opportunity to obtain justice and freedom from their captors.'
U visa fraud
The racket, or at least one of the five Indian-Americans, was involved in a visa scam.
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This visa is meant for victims of certain crimes who suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to the law enforcement for the investigation of the crime. One hotel owner among the 5 charged hired a worker at a hotel to stage a fictitious robbery of one of the Brow and Lash salons in 2022. The goal was to secure a U visa for one of the other defendants by making her a 'victim' of the robbery.
Dens of drug trafficking
The complaint said these hotels use their premises for drug trafficking.
"Drug traffickers allegedly received protection from law enforcement in the same manner in which human traffickers were also shielded by the hotel owners and managers. Overdoses were a common problem, and at least one hotel had to keep Narcan at the front desk as a result. One source cited described a stairwell of one of the hotels as being littered with drug needles.
Drug use was open and notorious in the parking lots according to eyewitnesses and to some online guest reviews," the DOJ document said.
Price to bring someone from India to America
One of the accused engaged in conversations about what it would cost to bring someone from India to America. A number of hotel employees crossed the Arizona border several years ago and reported to Customs and Border Patrol they would be residing at one or more of the defendant's hotels, thereby indicating those arrangements were made prior to entering the country illegally.
Migrants were also being transported illegally from Nebraska to Washington to get driver's licenses in Washington.
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