An Indian-origin couple landed in serious trouble this week after the FBI raided the Virginia motel they ran and uncovered a hidden crime hub inside.
Kosha Sharma, 52, known as Ma or Mama K, and her husband, Tarun Sharma, 55, called Pop or Pa, now face charges for allegedly running drug and sex trafficking operations out of the Red Carpet Inn in Dumfries.
Indian-Origin Motel Owners Arrested
The US Justice Department announced its arrest and charges in an official release.
Three more people, Margo Waldon Pierce, Joshua Roderick, and Rashard Perrish Smith, were also arrested early on January 15.
All five face charges for conspiring to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl. If they’re found guilty, the law demands a minimum of ten years in prison.
The Justice Department confirmed that all five appeared in court on Friday.
FOX 5 reported that the FBI and Prince William County police launched a joint operation after years of investigating sex trafficking and drug dealing at the motel on Dumfries Road. Just before 6 a.m. on January 15, officers arrived at the Red Carpet Inn, weapons drawn. The five suspects were arrested on the spot. Local news even got hold of surveillance footage showing the raid as it happened.
Indian-Origin Couple Face 10 Years Minimum
This bust followed months of undercover work. From late May to mid-December 2025, officers set up nine prostitution encounters and bought fentanyl and cocaine at the motel, fifteen times in total. Eleven of those buys were fentanyl, the rest cocaine.
So, who are the Sharmas? According to court records, Kosha and Tarun Sharma, along with their company Kosha LLC, have been leasing and running the Red Carpet Inn since May 2023.
The complaint calls them a married couple and accuses them of taking a cut from the illegal business happening on the hotel’s third floor.
Assistant US Attorneys Catherine Rosenberg and Megan Braun are leading the prosecution, while the FBI continues to work with Prince William County police and Virginia State Police to dig deeper into the case.
