Georgia Motel Manager from India Sentenced for Human Trafficking and Coercive Labor

An Indian motel manager in Georgia has been sentenced to 57 months in prison for human trafficking and forced labor. Shreesh Tiwari, a 71-year-old Indian national and US permanent resident, was also ordered to pay over USD40,000 in restitution to seven people. Tiwari had been managing the Budgetel Motel in Cartersville, Georgia since 2020.

According to court documents, Tiwari hired a woman to work as a maid at the motel and provided her with a room. However, he was aware that the victim had a history of homelessness, drug addiction, and losing custody of her child. Taking advantage of her vulnerable situation, Tiwari promised to help her regain custody by providing her with pay, an apartment, and an attorney.

Instead of fulfilling his promises, Tiwari exerted control over the victim by monitoring her interactions with guests and employees, forbidding her from speaking to them. He also discouraged her from contacting her family and friends, falsely claiming they didn’t care about her. Tiwari made sexual advances towards the victim and frequently threatened to evict her from the motel room he provided.

The situation escalated as Tiwari began regularly “evicting” the victim from her room and even locking her out at night without warning. Eventually, he demanded that she perform sexual acts with him in exchange for allowing her to stay at the motel. If she refused, he would remove her from the property, leaving her homeless.

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division highlighted that human trafficking can occur anywhere, as traffickers exploit vulnerable individuals and offer false hope in dire circumstances. US Attorney Ryan K Buchanan for the Northern District of Georgia expressed shock at Tiwari’s callousness and emphasized the importance of holding traffickers accountable to protect potential victims.

Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Atlanta noted that Tiwari preyed on the victim’s difficult past and fear of homelessness to control and exploit her, subjecting her to unspeakable horrors.

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