Police have arrested management of a Wethersfield, Connecticut hotel who are accused of promoting prostitution and giving room rate discounts to prostitutes and pimps to keep business at steady at the local Comfort Inn.
In August 2013, a prostitute who was staying at the Comfort Inn on the Silas Deane Highway told police "the owner and managers of the hotel were involved in organized prostitution, having numerous prostitutes staying there and working, from which [the owner and managers] were profiting," police said.
Five people have been arrested, including Jaimin Malaviya, 29, who is identified as the hotel's general manager, and Nathaniel Reeves, 44, a former manager.
Malaviya faces charges of promoting prostitution and racketeering. Reeves was charged with promoting prostitution.
In court documents, officers said the two led the group and would advertise girls on Web sites, then set up rooms for clients at the motel.
In recorded conversations, Reeves allegedly said, "I never should have gotten involved in prostitution. ... But well, I can't talk about it on the phone."
During an interview with police, Reeves told officers that Malaviya brought him into the prostitution business.
Police also arrested Josue Arroyo, 40, who is charged with promoting prostitution and racketeering, Marggie Laboy, 36, who was charged with prostitution, and Jessica Leanne Lyons, 24, who was also charged with prostitution.
According to court documents, Lyons told police she worked out of the hotel a few weeks at a time over the past two years and that "all of the employees at the Comfort Inn know what's going on there as far as prostitution goes."
She went on to say that cleaning staff even asked her to "throw some money their way in terms of tips," police said.
Police said Malaviya would rent rooms to prostitutes and pimps at a heavily discounted rate.
Court documents show that Reeves indicated to police that "Malaviya's motivation for allowing and advancing prostitution by giving discounted rates to known prostitutes and pimps was to keep steady money coming in to the hotel," and that the only reason Malaviya didn't make more was because Reeves began hiding the money he was making.
The owner of Comfort Inn, Vid Matta, released a statement through a public relations representative.
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Matta lives in Massachusetts and immediately fired the general manager when he learned of the illegal activity, notified police and cooperated fully with the investigation, according to the statement.
He then reportedly hired a new general manager and enforced strict hotel check-in guidelines.
"The hotel now requires all guests to produce a legal identification. There has been no illegal activity at the hotel since the prior general manger was fired and if any illegal activity should be noticed the hotel employees will report the same immediately to police," the statement says.
