Pennsylvania man and Indian-American hotel charged with alleged sex and drug trafficking

October 26, 2017

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A man from Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, as well as Indian-American hotel, were indicted Oct. 24, by a federal grand jury, on sex and drug trafficking changes.

The case against Faizal Bhimani, 41, of Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, and Om Sri Sai, Inc., doing business as a hotel operator in Bartonsville, Pennsylvania, was unsealed Oct. 25, following the arrest of Bhimani, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

According to U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler, the indictment alleges that from June 2014 to the present, Bhimani, the manager of a hotel in Bartonsville, along with Om Sri Sai, Inc., facilitated and profited from drug trafficking and commercial sex induced by force, fraud, and coercion.

The maximum penalty under federal law for this offense is life imprisonment, a term of supervised release following imprisonment, and a fine.

The government is also seeking forfeiture of all assets including real property, and the liquor license of the hotel, the press release said.

However, indictments and Criminal Informations are only allegations. All persons charged are presumed to be innocent unless and until found guilty in court.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Stroud Regional Police Department, and the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean A. Camoni is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of a district wide initiative to combat what law enforcement considers a nationwide epidemic regarding the use and distribution of heroin.

Led by the United States Attorney’s Office, the Heroin Initiative targets heroin traffickers operating in the Middle District of Pennsylvania and is part of a coordinated effort among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who commit heroin related offenses.