An Indian-origin motel manager was among 10 people arrested and charged in Operation Broken Blade at targeted locations by multiple agencies near the notorious Figueroa Corridor. The Figueroa Corridor, an area of South LA, is known for trafficking and underage prostitution. The motel’s on-site manager, Mukeshkumar Rambhai Patel, 45, is facing a series of financial crimes related to human trafficking.As agents searched the motel, federal financial crimes investigators told ABC7 that Ahir was not a trafficker, but accused him of profiting from prostitution.Jose Gonzalez of IRS Criminal Investigations said, “The money told the story. As alleged, individuals associated with this location concealed large amounts of illicit cash, falsified records and structured deposits to hide the proceeds of sex trafficking activities.”From September 2024 to January 2026, Ahir collected $64,581, which he knew was derived from the gang’s sex trafficking of children and adults. Ahir has also been accused of “structuring” or depositing small amounts at a time into bank accounts opened for the purpose in order to prevent banks from reporting large cash deposits to the US government.
hoover gang sex trafficking
Many of those arrested are members or associates of the well-known Hoover Gang, which authorities say “controls large-scale sex trafficking and prostitution” in the corridor. The federal indictment unsealed Wednesday lists 51 victims, some as young as 14.Those members are facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion, drug trafficking conspiracy and concealment and money laundering.Federal prosecutors allege that “the Hoovers worked together to recruit new victims through social media or in person, focusing on vulnerable minor girls and young women, particularly those with financial or emotional struggles or who had run away from home or were in the foster care system.” Victims were recruited through false promises of luxurious lifestyles, intimidation, and actual or threatened violence. Pimps would also give their victims drugs like oxycodone and amphetamines to create an addiction that the pimps could exploit.“First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essaly said, “They are targeting and preying on girls in the foster care system, who are the most vulnerable. This is about using a human being to make money for themselves.”“They would beat them. One of them cut a piece of flesh from his cheek to his face, right down to the cartilage,” Essayli said. “One of them was forced to have an abortion and then was forced to work that same night.”
List of 10 people arrested and accused
cameron locketcalide moutonNakhali MillerGeorge MelendezMauricio Ulloa-Franco, Jr.lagrain lennoxMukesh Kumar Rambhai AhirLenny Ray Maankylan youngdejon macdonald williams