Oceanside Travelodge motel and its owner also charged
SAN DIEGO – Federal authorities unsealed an indictment
Monday charging an Oceanside, Calif., motel and 38 individuals, mostly
members and associates of the Oceanside Crips street gang, with
racketeering and other charges related to the sex trafficking of
underage girls and women.
The indictments are the results of Operation “Vice Grip,” an18-month
investigation involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE)
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of
Investigations (FBI), the Oceanside Police Department and the San Diego
Sheriff’s Office.
So far, investigators have arrested 29 of those indicted in the case,
including the motel’s owner. More arrests are expected. In addition,
the case indictment also seeks the criminal forfeiture of the Oceanside
Travelodge motel.
According to the indictment, the defendants are members, associates,
and facilitators of the “Oceanside Crips Enterprise,” which includes
three separate Oceanside gangs that have interacted since 2005 to expand
their geographical territory and protect it against rival gangs. The
organization’s senior members directed the activities of more junior
members, even from prison.
The indictment further alleges that, in recent years, the Enterprise
has increasingly focused its for-profit criminal activity on promoting
and managing prostitution in San Diego County and throughout the United
States. The gang-controlled prostitution spawned a “pimping” subculture
that enforced strict rules with consequences for individuals who
violated them.
“The indictment unsealed today targets a growing problem in San Diego
County and across the country – street gangs like the Crips expanding
traditional gang activities (drug trafficking and violent crime) to
include prostitution,” said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. “I cannot state
this more emphatically: I regard the kind of prostitution involved in
this case, including the trafficking of children via the Internet,
social networking sites and local business, as a form of modern-day
slavery to which every available law enforcement resource will be
applied. I commend the work of our federal, state, and local law
enforcement partners for their dedication and commitment to this case.”
The recruitment efforts included extensive online advertising and the
use of social media websites, including MySpace, Facebook, Twitter and
YouTube. The defendants generally targeted vulnerable underage girls who
were runaways or from broken homes, but also included girls from
middleclass families in the Oceanside area.
After recruiting the prostitutes, the Enterprise “pimps” allegedly
provided victims with controlled substances and alcohol in order to
manipulate their loyalty and increase productivity related to
prostitution. Once the victims became dependent on the “pimps,” they
were sometimes sold, traded or “gifted” to other “pimps.”
“The sex trafficking of women and children is a particularly heinous
crime and will not be tolerated in our communities,” said Michael
Carney, acting special agent in charge for ICE Homeland Security
Investigations in San Diego. “We must continue to work to dismantle and
destroy sex trafficking rings here and abroad. Our goal is to not only
prevent the spread of this modern day form of slavery, but to wipe it
out in every form where it exists.”
Among those charged with facilitating the Enterprise’s prostitution
activities are the two individuals and limited liability company (LLC)
that own and operate the Oceanside Travelodge, which was frequently used
for the prostitution activities.
Vinod N. Patel, 60, acting on behalf of Gayatri Investments, LLC, and
his son, Hitesh Vinod Patel, 27, were arrested and charged in the
indictments for allowing the Enterprise members and associates to rent
rooms in specific areas of the motel, segregating them from legitimate
customers. According to the indictment, the Patels commonly charged and
accepted cash payments from the Enterprise members and associates, in
exchange for permitting the prostitution activities to be conducted at
the Travelodge.
“We are committed to disrupting the operation of violent and
threatening street gangs in San Diego County and will relentlessly
pursue those who traffic and exploit vulnerable juveniles,” said Keith
Slotter, special agent in charge for the FBI in San Diego. “Cooperation
among law enforcement agencies is critical to identifying, disrupting,
and dismantling the organized enterprises that perpetuate these crimes
and to stopping the cycle of victimization.”
If convicted, the defendants face maximum penalties for racketeering
activities of up to 20 years, a fine of $250,000 and three years of
supervised release.
To report suspicious activity, call ICE’s 24-hour toll-free hotline at: 1-866-347-2423 or visit www.ice.gov.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading …
Posted in 
Add to Google