CARTERSVILLE, Ga. — The manager of a Cartersville motel pleaded guilty to trafficking.
Prosecutors say he exploited a woman who had struggled with homelessness, drug addiction and had lost custody of her young child.
Shreesh Tiwari, 70, an Indian national and legal U.S. permanent resident, began managing the Budgetel Motel in Cartersville in 2020.
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Tiwari hired the victim to work as a house cleaner at the hotel.
He promised her he would help her regain custody of her child by providing her with pay, an apartment, and an attorney.
But instead of following through on the promises, prosecutors said Tiwari monitored the victim’s interactions with motel guests and employees, forbidding her to speak with them, making numerous sexual advances to her, and when he was angry with her he would threaten to throw her out of her room.
Tiwari also threatened to report her drug use to law enforcement or child welfare agencies whenever he was angry with her, according to a release.
Eventually, he would “evict” her from her motel room, and even locked her out of her room at night without warning.
Tiwari later required the victim to perform oral sex on him to stay at the motel.
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“Human trafficking is an abhorrent crime in which traffickers specifically identify and target the most vulnerable members of our society, often using fraudulent promises to offer hope to someone in need,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “This conviction demonstrates that the Justice Department is committed to prosecuting motel operators and other landlords who misuse and abuse their position of power over tenants to compel them to engage in commercial sex acts.”
Sentencing for Tiwari is set for Sept. 6.
He faces a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
As part of his plea agreement, Tiwari agreed to pay over $40,000 in mandatory restitution to the victim.
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