 "Visa fraud, sex trafficking: 5 Indian-Americans abuse US immigration system")
The Trump administration, since its first day in office, has tightened its crackdown on immigration-related fraud. In the midst of immigration raids across major US cities, federal authorities have charged five Indian-Americans in Nebraska over sex trafficking, visa fraud and money laundering involving more than $565,000 (around ₹5 crore), according to a press release by the US Attorney's Office, District of Nebraska.
Kentakumar “Ken” Chaudhari, 36, Rashmi Ajit “Falguni” Samani, 42, Amit Prahladbhai “Amit” Chaudhari, 32, Amit Babubhai “Matt” Chaudhari, 33, and Maheshkumar “Mahesh” Chaudhari, 38, owned, operated and managed a number of hotels in the state. Prosecutors allege these hotels were at the centre of multiple criminal schemes.
US state attorney Lesley Woods said in the release, the operations generated large illegal proceeds, with investigators seizing more than $565,000 in cash suspected to be linked to money laundering.
Child labour and unsafe living conditions
Court documents say ten minors were rescued from a labour trafficking network that forced children under the age of 12 to work long hours in unclean, unsafe and unhealthy hotels for little or no pay.
The Department of Justice described one scene where an informant entered a hotel room and found immigrant victims sleeping on the floor, with cockroaches crawling over them as they slept.
“There is no evil greater than the evil that seeks to trap, oppress, and exploit human beings for profit or pleasure,” said Woods. “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.”
Visa scam involving staged robbery
One of the accused is also alleged to have abused the US U visa system, which is designed for victims of certain crimes who have suffered abuse and assist law enforcement in investigations.
Investigators say a hotel owner arranged a staged robbery of a Brow and Lash salon in 2022 to make another defendant appear as a crime victim, in an attempt to secure her a U visa.
Hotels as drug trafficking hubs
The complaint also alleges the hotels were used for drug trafficking. According to the DOJ, traffickers received protection from the hotel owners in the same way human traffickers did.
Overdoses were reportedly so frequent that at least one hotel kept Narcan — an opioid overdose treatment — at the front desk. A source described a stairwell littered with used drug needles, while drug use in the parking lots was said to be common, a claim also reflected in online guest reviews.
Smuggling people from India
Prosecutors allege one defendant discussed the cost of bringing someone from India to the US. Several hotel employees had crossed the Arizona border in previous years, telling border officials they would be living at hotels owned by the defendants.
The complaint further claims that migrants were moved between Nebraska and Washington to obtain driver’s licences fraudulently, with each identification document costing around $1,000.