Federal authorities arrested the owners and operators of the Sayville Motor Lodge on Wednesday, charging them with turning their motel into a space for prostitution and drug dealing, federal prosecutors said.
The U.S. Attorney’s office announced the indictment of the ownership team consisting of Narendarakuma Dadarwala, 76, his wife Shardaben Dadarwala, 69, their son Jigar Dadarwala, 44, and Ashokbhai Patel, 58.
The charges allege the group facilitated drug sales and sex trafficking at the Sayville motel, along with the abuse of at least one female minor.
“We allege the owner and employees of the Sayville Motor Lodge looked the other way when pimps trafficked human beings in their hotel,” FBI assistant director-in-charge Michael J. Driscoll said. “More egregiously, we allege they took money from those pimps and drug dealers, who beat and abused the women involved in front of them.”
The sex traffickers, sex workers and drug dealers allegedly called Narendarakuma “Dad” and “Pa” and Shardaben “Mom” and “Ma.”
The Dadarwalas, who live at the motel at 5494 Sunrise Highway, have owned the property since 1984. Patel worked and lived at the Sayville Motor Lodge from 2017 to 2019.
Federal prosecutors said an un-apprehended co-conspirator ran a sex trafficking ring at the motel from 2014 to 2018 with the alleged help of the Dadarwalas and Patel.
“In furtherance of his operation, the co-conspirator 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 minors who worked for him,” reads a release on the indictment.
From 2018 to now, authorities allege the business owners of using the site for narcotics trafficking, allowing customers to freely use drugs, such as heroin, cocaine and crack cocaine in their rooms.
“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,” said SCPD police commissioner Rodney Harrison. “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.”
As of this morning, the group had all been arrested, however, a fifth co-conspirator is still at-large.
Here are the sentences if convicted, per the U.S. attorney’s office:
“The defendants each face a minimum of 15 years imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment 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 five years on distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses charge.”
The town and U.S. government are also seeking action to permanently shut down the Sayville Motor Lodge and have obtained an order “restraining the defendants from transferring, encumbering or operating the Sayville Motor Lodge in violation of law.”
Top photo: Exterior of the Sayville Motor Lodge on Sunrise Highway in Sayville. (Credit: Google Maps)
