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Five Indian-Americans charged with sex trafficking, visa fraud, forced child labor in Nebraska; details here
Five Indian-Americans in Nebraska face charges of sex trafficking, visa fraud, and money laundering involving over $565,000.
Five Indian-Americans have been charged in Nebraska with sex trafficking, visa fraud, and money laundering involving over $565,000 (approximately ₹5 crore) amid Trump's immigration crackdown and ongoing raids in major US cities.
The US Attorney's Office, District of Nebraska, revealed the names of the Indian-Americans, which include Amit Prahladbhai “Amit” Chaudhari, 32, Amit Babubhai “Matt” Chaudhari, 33, Maheshkumar “Mahesh” Chaudhari, 38, Rashmi Ajit “Falguni” Samani, 42, and Kentakumar “Ken” Chaudhari, 36, owned, ran, and oversaw several hotels in the state. According to the prosecution, these hotels were involved in several illegal schemes.
In a press release, US state attorney Lesley Woods stated that the businesses produced significant illicit profits, and authorities seized over $565,000 in cash that may have been used in money laundering.
Ten minors rescued
Ten juveniles were rescued from a labor trafficking network that compelled youngsters under the age of 12 to work long hours in filthy, dangerous, and unhygienic hotels for little to no pay, according to court filings.
Citing one instance, the Department of Justice, revealed that an informant went into a hotel room and discovered immigrant victims dozing on the floor while cockroaches crawled over them.
“There is no evil greater than the evil that seeks to trap, oppress, and exploit human beings for profit or pleasure,” said Woods in the statement. “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.”
Moreover, one of the accused is suspected of abusing the US U visa program, which is intended for victims of specific crimes who have been mistreated and want to help law enforcement with their investigations.
A hotel owner allegedly orchestrated a fictitious robbery of a Brow and Lash salon in 2022 to portray another suspect as a victim of crime in an effort to obtain a U visa for her.
The hotels were also allegedly utilised for narcotics trafficking, according to the complaint. The hotel owners provided security to traffickers, just as they did for human traffickers, the DOJ said.
Smuggling Indian nationals
According to the prosecution, one defendant spoke about the price of transporting someone from India to the US. In previous years, a number of hotel workers had crossed the Arizona border knowing they would be staying at defendant-owned hotels.
Migrants were transported between Nebraska and Washington in order to illegally obtain driver's licenses, which cost around $1,000 each, as per the complaint.
