LI Motel A 'Money-Making Refuge' For Sex Trafficking, Drugs: Feds

SAYVILLE, NY — A Long Island family and their employee were arrested and charged in federal court Wednesday, after federal prosecutors said they operated a sex trafficking and illegal drug business at their motel.

Narendarakuma Dadarwala, 76, his wife Shardaben Dadarwala, 69, their son Jigar Dadarwala, 44, and their business, Himanshu, Inc. — doing business as the Sayville Motor Lodge — were charged with managing a drug premises and sex trafficking conspiracy.

Employee Ashokbhai Patel, 58, of Nebraska, was arrested Tuesday in Nebraska and was expected to appear in an Eastern District of New York courtroom at a later date. He faces the same charges.

Narendarakuma Dadarwala also faces an additional charge of distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses

The Dadarwalas have owned and operated the Sayville Motor Lodge, located at 5494 Sunrise Hwy., since 1984, according to court filings. They live and work at the motel.

Ashokai Patel was employed and also lived there from 2017 to 2019.

The Dadarwalas and Patel conspired with traffickers and facilitated criminal activity at the Sayville Motor Lodge, profiting from both prostitution and narcotics activity, prosecutors said.

They exercised control over room rentals and booked dates and set room rates for commercial sex, prosecutors said, and knew women engaged in prostitution, including at least one child trafficking victim, authorities said.

When law enforcement was on the premises, they warned the family and women engaged in prostitution.

Prosecutors also said that the family saw traffickers physically harm victims and customers. They also financially benefited from the commercial sex activity at the Sayville Motor Lodge, prosecutors said, and traffickers, sex workers, and drug dealers frequently interacted with staffers, even calling Narendarakuma Dadarwala “Dad” and “Pa”and Shardaben Dadarwala “Mom” and “Ma.”

Additionally, for four years beginning in 2014, an apprehended co-conspirator operated a sex trafficking business out of the motel, in coordination with the Dadarwalas and Patel, prosecutors said.

That co-conspirator trafficked several women out of the motel — including a child — and routinely subjected the women who worked for him to physical violence.

The individual also kept the women who worked for him addicted to drugs and introduced them to prostitution in exchange for drugs, posted ads on the internet and set rates for commercial sex acts, confiscated proceeds from prostitution, and mentally and physically abused the women and children who worked for him, prosecutors said.

“As alleged, the defendants made the Sayville Motor Lodge a money-making refuge for prostitution and narcotics trafficking, and a blight on the surrounding community,” stated Peace. “With these arrests, we send a clear message that our Office will prosecute those who use motels or any other venue as their base of operations for trafficking human beings and drugs.”

In addition, from 2014 to the present, the Dadarwalas, Patel, and Himanshu profited from the narcotics trafficking that was openly conducted on Sayville Motor Lodge property.

The family allowed customers to freely use drugs, including heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine, in plain view and in motel rooms, officials said.

Much like the traffickers, drug dealers paid the family for the privilege of selling drugs at the motel, prosecutors alleged.

Narendarakuma Dadarwala wired money from the rental of rooms for prostitution and narcotics trafficking to his son and Patel, court documents said.

“From the outside, the Sayville Motor Lodge appeared to be a typical roadside motel, but in reality, there was far more than just overnight stays occurring there,” Rodney Harrison, the Suffolk County police commissioner, said in a release. “The owners and employees facilitated sex trafficking and drug sales for financial gain at the expense of women, including a minor. We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop those who exploit victims of human trafficking and will continue to help these victims receive the services they need to get their lives back on track.”

The indictment said the government is seeking to forfeit the Sayville Motor Lodge. To ensure the property is preserved for forfeiture, the federal government obtained an order preventing the owners from transferring, encumbering or operating the motel.

If convicted, the Dadarwalas and Patel each face a minimum of 15 years’ behind bars and a up to life in prison on the sex trafficking charge.

Jigar Dadarwala, Narendarakuma Dadarwala, Shardaben Dadarwala and Ashokai Patel face up to 20 years for the managing a drug premises charge; and Narendarakuma Dadarwala faces up to 5 years on distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses charge.

The four will be arraigned at a later date, officials said. The fifth co-conspirator remains at large.

If you were a victim, please contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction and seeking help, call the National Drug Helpline: 844-289-0979, or visit their website here.

If you or someone you know of is involved in human trafficking and seeking help, call the National Human Trafficking Helpline: 888-373-7888, text "HELP" to: 233733, or visit their website here.