Sayville motel was 'moneymaking refuge' for prostitution, narcotics trafficking, prosecutors say

The owners and operators of the Sayville Motor Lodge transformed the Sunrise Highway motel into a haven for drug dealing and sex trafficking, taking cash from pimps and dealers who abused women in their rooms, federal prosecutors said Wednesday as they unsealed an indictment against four individuals.

Prosecutors charged Narendarakuma Dadarwala, 76, his wife, Shardaben Dadarwala, 69, their son, Jigar Dadarwala, 44, and Ashokbhai Patel, 58, a former employee, with sex trafficking conspiracy and managing a drug premise. Narendarakuma Dadarwala is also charged with distribution of proceeds of prostitution and narcotics businesses. A fifth co-conspirator remains at large, prosecutors said.

"The defendants made the Sayville Motor Lodge a moneymaking refuge for prostitution and narcotics trafficking, and a blight on the surrounding community,” said Breon Peace, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The Dadarwalas were arrested Wednesday morning at the motel, where they also live, and were arraigned at federal court in Central Islip. 

Narendarakuma and Shardaben Dadarwala were released on $2 million bond while Jigar Dadarwala was held without bond. 

Patel, who worked and lived at the motel from 2017 to 2019, was arrested Wednesday in Nebraska and will be arraigned Friday in that state. Patel is not a U.S. citizen and law enforcement lodged an immigration detainer against him.

If convicted, the defendants face up to life in prison.

Attorneys for the defendants declined or did not respond to requests for comment.

Building inspectors from the Town of Islip, which has fielded complaints about the Sayville Motor Lodge for years, shut down the motel Wednesday for numerous building and fire code violations. The federal government is seeking forfeiture of the property. The town declined to comment.

“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 Suffolk Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. “The owners and employees facilitated sex trafficking and drug sales for financial gain."

The Dadarwalas, who've owned and operated the motel since 1984, profited from the prostitution and narcotics sales that routinely took place in their rooms, prosecutors said.

Federal charging documents indicate the Dadarwalas and Patel conspired with sex traffickers, providing them multiple rooms at a time for extended stays and warning them when law enforcement was on-site — in exchange for payment.

The Dadarwalas, authorities said, gave the traffickers rooms at the rear of the motel that were less visible to outsiders, including law enforcement. 

"They observed a revolving door of men going in and out of the rooms," prosecutors wrote in a detention memo. "They were privy to yelling and physical violence. But they did not simply turn a blind eye: they worked with the sex traffickers and profited from their criminal activity."

The traffickers, sex workers and drug dealers frequently interacted with motel staff and called the husband and wife owners "Ma" and "Pa," authorities said.

From 2014 through 2018, an unapprehended co-conspirator operated a sex trafficking business out of the Motor Lodge, in coordination with the Dadarwalas and Patel, prosecutors said.

The co-conspirator trafficked several women out of the motel, and also a minor, and routinely subjected them to physical and emotional violence, while keeping them addicted to drugs that were doled out in exchange for prostitution, charging documents state.

In addition, since 2014, the defendants have profited from narcotics trafficking that was conducted openly at the motel, allowing dealers to sell drugs in their rooms and customers to get high on heroin, cocaine and crack in plain view, prosecutors said.

“These defendants are alleged to have not only knowingly allowed criminal behavior to run rampant at the Motor Inn for years, they also financially benefited from these same illegal activities directly through kickbacks," said Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney.

Narendarakuma Dadarwala wired funds from the rental of rooms for prostitution and narcotics trafficking to his son and Patel, authorities contend.

Prosecutors said Jigar Dadarwala also sold crack at the motel and brokered commercial sex dates between customers and women, often taking a cut of the proceeds.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.