An Indian national, who’s living in the United States illegaly, got sentenced a 10 year federal prison sentence. According to US Authorities, he apparently admitted to being involved in the sex trafficking of two minor girls at a hotel in Nebraska. The person involved is Kavankumar Patel, 27, from Gujarat, India. He was sentenced on May 26 by Senior US District Judge Joseph F. Bataillon in Omaha on two counts tied to sex trafficking of a minor. As per the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Nebraska, Patel will also have to do five years of supervised release once the prison term ends. US federal officials added that Patel is likely to face deportation after he completes his sentence, because he’s currently in the country unlawfully.
What Happened Here?
The case came out of an investigation that started on January 6 2025, after Omaha police officers went to the American hotel on South 13th Court in Omaha, because there was a theft report. When they did their inquiry, officers found signs that pointed to human trafficking and then they told federal authorities. A joint effort between the Homeland Security Task Force and the Omaha Police Department resulted in the recovery of two girls, ages 15 and 16, who, investigators say, were brought in from another state and allegedly were being traded for commercial sex. Investigators also decided that the traffickers leaned on online advertisements to set up the sexual encounters involving the minors, while the girls were kept at the hotel for a few days.
HSI Omaha agents arrested Kavan Kumar Patel, an illegal alien from India, sentenced to 120 months in prison for sex trafficking of a minor. The conviction is part of a larger HSI sex trafficking investigation involving multiple defendants using hotels to sex traffic minors. pic.twitter.com/FGSLZ5lU6P
— HSI Kansas City (@HSIKansasCity) May 29, 2026
What Did The Victims Say?
In court records, the victims told investigators that they were told by traffickers to carry out sexual acts with hotel employees, in exchange for discounted room rates or else get removed from the property. The authorities explained that two hotel employees actually paid traffickers so they could have sex with one of the girls. Then another hotel worker had sex with the other victim according to US Officials. Patel, who was employed at the hotel, admitted he took money from the hotel cash register, to send it to traffickers for sex with one of the minors. Prosecutors stated that multiple hotel employees knowingly let the traffickers and the victims stay there on the premises, while these illegal acts went on, without stopping anything. Later on, the girls told investigators they had very little food and they felt like there was basically no real option, so they just had to go along with what the traffickers demanded.
What Did The Court Say?
Announcing the sentence , US Attorney Lesley A. Woods praised the law enforcement agencies for the rescues of the victims, and at the same time she emphasized that the government is committed to combating human trafficking in the long run. The prosecution was performed under the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, basically a multi agency effort aimed at human trafficking networks, plus transnational criminal organizations , and the related crimes that are tied in with those activities.
