Overview
- Federal court in Omaha sentenced 27‑year‑old Kavankumar Patel to 10 years in prison for two counts of sex trafficking of a minor and ordered five years of supervised release.
- Prosecutors say Patel admitted he used hotel cash to pay traffickers and schemed to ‘harbor, obtain, and maintain’ the minors at the AmericInn.
- The case began after an Omaha theft call on January 6, 2025, led Homeland Security Task Force and local police to rescue two girls, ages 15 and 16, who had been moved across state lines for commercial sex.
- Investigators say hotel employees allowed and facilitated abuse by accepting payments for sex with one victim and by permitting traffickers to stay, while online ads and coercion kept the victims compliant.
- Raids on related Nebraska properties reportedly seized large sums of cash and alleged evidence of immigration fraud and hidden surveillance, and several other defendants remain charged as the broader investigation continues.