5 Arrested For Human Trafficking, Immigration Fraud

India-West News Desk

OMAHA, NE — Federal, state, and local authorities have charged five individuals, all of Indian descent, with running a sprawling human trafficking, drug trafficking, and immigration fraud operation out of several hotels in the Omaha metro area and central Nebraska.

The arrests, announced on August 12 by U.S. Attorney Lesley A. Woods, target Kentakumar Chaudhari, 36, of Elkhorn; Rashmi Ajit Samani, 42, of Elkhorn; Amit Prahladbhai Chaudhari, 32, of Omaha; Amit Babubhai Chaudhari, 33, of Omaha; and Maheshkumar Chaudhari, 38, of Norfolk – all from Nebraska.

Authorities say the operation exploited both minors and adults, including 10 children under the age of 12 and 17 adults, forcing them to work long hours for little or no pay in unsanitary hotel conditions. Victims slept on floors in cockroach-infested rooms and were charged for lodging. Online reviews of the hotels cited similar unsanitary and exploitative conditions.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants also ran a sex trafficking conspiracy, targeting both minors and adults, with hotel management allegedly facilitating and protecting the illicit activity.

In addition, the hotels were used as hubs for drug trafficking. Witnesses and online reviews described open drug use in parking lots, and at least one hotel kept Narcan on hand due to frequent overdoses.

Court filings also detail alleged immigration fraud schemes, including bringing people from India to the U.S. illegally and helping them obtain fraudulent Washington state driver’s licenses. One defendant is accused of staging a fake robbery at a salon to help another fraudulently secure a U visa, intended for victims of crime.

As part of the investigation, law enforcement executed search warrants at 14 business and residential locations, including the AmericInn in Omaha, The Inn (formerly Super 8) in Omaha, The New Victorian in Omaha, and the Roadway Inn in Bellevue. Authorities seized more than $565,000 in cash and an undetermined amount of illicit drugs. The government has also filed a notice to block the sale of the implicated hotel properties.