Overview
- U.S. District Judge Susan M. Brnovich sentenced Varsha Patel, 57, on Feb. 4 to five years of probation for her role in how the Royal Inn was operated.
- Patel was ordered to surrender ownership of the Royal Inn and pay significant financial penalties, reported as $749,000 by ABC15 or $744,000 plus a $5,000 fine by Arizona’s Family.
- She pleaded guilty to using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of racketeering enterprises after initially facing multiple counts.
- Federal court filings and investigators say the motel functioned as a hub for prostitution and drug sales with rules that aided the activity along the 27th Avenue corridor known as “The Blade.”
- Phoenix police and the FBI searched the property in September 2024, after which the U.S. Marshals Service closed and fenced the site, and several additional defendants were charged with distributing fentanyl and methamphetamine there.