Owners of the Sayville Motor Lodge and their co-conspirators have been arrested for alleged sex trafficking and drug activity at the motel, federal authorities said.
As a result, the federal government is seeking forfeiture of the Sayville Motel Lodge and has issued an order restraining its operators from conducting any type of business there under the law while they face trial. The sex trafficking victims include several women, including at least one female minor.
“As alleged, the defendants made the Sayville Motor Lodge a money-making refuge for prostitution and narcotics trafficking, and a blight on the surrounding community,” Breon Peace, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. “With these arrests, we send a clear message that our office will prosecute those who use motels or any other venue as their base of operations for trafficking human beings and drugs.”
Motel owner Narendarakuma Dadarwala, 76, his wife Shardaben Dadarwala, 69, their son Jigar Dadarwala, 44, all of Sayville, and Ashokbhai Patel, 58, of Omaha, Nebraska, are all charged with sex trafficking conspiracy and maintaining a drug premise. The owner is also charged with distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses.
Patel was arrested Tuesday, and the Dadarwalas were arrested Wednesday morning. According to officials, there is a fifth co-conspirator who remains at large. An arraignment is set for Wednesday afternoon at Central Islip federal court.
“From the outside, the Sayville Motor Lodge appeared to be a typical roadside motel, but in reality, there was far more than just overnight stays occurring there,” Suffolk County Police Department Commissioner Rodney Harrison said in a statement. “We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who exploit victims of human trafficking and will continue to help these victims receive the services they need to get their lives back on track.”
The unsealed indictment alleges that the Sayville Motor Lodge owner and employees facilitated the criminal activity and worked with sex traffickers to allow prostitution and drug use to occur on the premise, alerting the traffickers when police came to the property. They also allegedly witnessed traffickers inflict physical violence on their victims and financially benefited from the operation.
The federal court document also alleges that sex traffickers, workers, and drug dealers frequently interacted with the owners and managers of the motel, referring to Narendarakuma Dadarwala as “Dad” and “Pa” and Shardaben Dadarwala as “Mom” and “Ma.”
Each defendant faces 15 year to life in prison on sex trafficking charges alone, if convicted.
The defense attorneys for Jigar Dadarwala, Shardaben Dadarwala, and Narendarakuma Dadarwala are Jeffrey Pittell, Joshua Horowitz, and Richard Langone, respectively.
The government encourages victims of sex trafficking to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
