An illegal immigrant from India has been jailed for 10 years in US after paying human traffickers to abuse minor girls at a Nebraska hotel.Kavankumar Patel, a 27-year-old citizen of Gujarat, India, who is living in the US illegally, was sentenced this week in a federal court in Omaha, Nebraska. The decade-long prison term was given after Patel was convicted on two counts of sex trafficking of a minor.Upon his release, he will place into a five-year term of supervised release, Moreover, he faces deportation back to India due to his unlawful immigration status.The sex trafficking ring was uncovered on January 6, 2025, after Omaha Police officers responded to a routine theft complaint. While investigating the case, officers noticed clear signs of possible human trafficking at the location.The Homeland Security Task Force and local police launched a rescue mission which saved two underage girls, aged 15 and 16, from the AmericInn hotel located in Omaha. The victims had been transported across state lines, moving between Denver and Omaha multiple times, to be sold for commercial sex. Following their rescue, the two teenagers were taken to Project Harmony for specialist interviews.During their interviews, the two victims revealed that their traffickers had forced them to comply with an ultimatum. The girls were told they had to engage in sexual acts with hotel employees to secure a discounted room rate, or they would be thrown out onto the street. The hotel staff actively enabled the abuse. Two employees paid the traffickers to abuse one of the girls, while a third employee had sex with the other minor. Patel worked at the AmericInn and admitted that he stole money directly from the hotel’s cash till to pay the traffickers for sex with one of the underage victims.In exchange for these sexual favours, the hotel staff allowed the traffickers and the two minors to remain on the premises for several days. During this time, the traffickers posted commercial sex advertisements online and coordinated appointments for clients. The victims later reported that they were given very little food and trapped. They thought they had no choice but to obey the traffickers’ orders.Following the sentencing, United States Attorney Lesley A. Woods commended the multi-agency rescue operation.“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will never tire of working as hard as we need to work to protect the most vulnerable victims in our communities,” Woods said.
