An illegal immigrant from India has been jailed for 10 years in the US after paying human traffickers to abuse minor girls in a hotel in Nebraska.Kavankumar Patel, a 27-year-old citizen of Gujarat, India, who is living in the US illegally, was sentenced this week in a federal court in Omaha, Nebraska. Patel was given a decade-long prison sentence after being convicted of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor.Upon his release, he will be sentenced to five years of supervised release, in addition, he will face deportation back to India due to his illegal immigration status.The sex trafficking ring was busted on January 6, 2025, after Omaha police officers responded to a routine theft complaint. While investigating the case, officials observed clear signs of possible human trafficking at the location.The Homeland Security Task Force and local police launched a rescue operation, rescuing two underage girls, ages 15 and 16, from the AmericanInn Hotel in Omaha. The victims were at times transported across state lines between Denver and Omaha to be sold for commercial sex. Following their rescue, both teenagers were taken to Project Harmony for expert interviews.During their interviews, both victims revealed that their traffickers had forced them to comply with an ultimatum. The girls were told that they had to perform sexual acts with hotel staff to gain a discounted room rate, otherwise they would be thrown out onto the street. Hotel staff actively enabled the abuse. Two employees paid traffickers to abuse one girl, while a third employee had sex with another minor. Patel worked at the AmericanInn and admitted that she stole money directly from the hotel cash to pay traffickers to have sex with one of the underage victims.In exchange for these sexual relations, the hotel staff allowed the traffickers and two minors to stay on the premises for several days. During this time, traffickers posted commercial sex advertisements online and coordinated appointments for clients. The victims later reported that they were given very little food and were trapped. They thought they had no choice but to follow the smugglers’ orders.After sentencing, United States Attorney Leslie A. Woods praised the multi-agency rescue operation.“The United States Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners will never tire of working as hard as we need to protect the most vulnerable victims in our communities,” Woods said.