- Indian-origin hotel worker sentenced for sex trafficking a minor.
- He was convicted on two counts linked to offences at work.
- The case follows other Nebraska trafficking prosecutions involving Indians.
INDIAN-ORIGIN HOTEL WORKER Kavankumar Patel was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison in the United States for sex trafficking a minor, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He was convicted on two counts related to offences committed at the AmericInn hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, where he worked.
Patel, 27, was sentenced on May 26 in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, according to media reports. U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon also ordered five years of supervised release.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, Patel faces deportation after completing his sentence because he is in the U.S. illegally.
The investigation began on Jan. 6, 2025, when Omaha police officers responding to a theft report uncovered evidence of human trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Members of the Homeland Security Task Force and Omaha police rescued two girls, aged 15 and 16, who had been transported from another state for commercial sex.
According to court documents, the victims said they were told to perform sex acts with hotel employees in exchange for reduced room rates and were threatened with eviction if they refused. They also had limited access to food and felt compelled to comply with traffickers’ demands.
Patel told investigators he took cash from the hotel’s front desk drawer to pay the traffickers. In return, hotel employees allowed the traffickers and the two minors to stay at the property for several days. During that time, the traffickers used online advertisements to solicit clients and arrange commercial sex acts involving the minors.
“The Homeland Security Task Force rescued these children from a living nightmare, and anyone with knowledge or suspicion of human trafficking in our communities should reach out to state or federal law enforcement immediately to report those concerns and to be part of the effort to free all of Nebraska’s victims of human trafficking,” said U.S. Attorney Lesley Woods.
The sentencing follows other trafficking prosecutions involving Indian-origin nationals in Nebraska. Earlier this year, federal authorities charged five people in an Omaha-area scheme that allegedly trafficked 10 minors and 17 adults across 14 properties, according to The Indian Express.
Separately, a bipartisan group of lawmakers launched a congressional caucus on March 18 to combat human trafficking. The caucus aims to advance legislation and policies addressing trafficking and supporting victims.
