Prostitution Ring Busted At Sun Motel Along I-55: Braidwood PD

BRAIDWOOD, IL - About 20 miles south of Joliet along Interstate 55, the Braidwood Police Department arrested a 64-year-old man on charges of promoting prostitution and a 67-year-old man on charges of aggravated battery. The place in question was the Sun Motel, 140 South Hickory St., was the backdrop for a famous Hollywood movie, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," noted Braidwood Chief of Police Nick Ficarello.

The two men who were arrested late Thursday afternoon are:

Kanubhai "Kenny" Patel, 67, of the 100 block of Hickory St., Braidwood, was jailed on charges of aggravated battery by Braidwood Police.

Vinodchandra "Vinny" Patel, 64, Des Plaines, was jailed on charges of promoting or advancing prostitution.

On Friday afternoon, Joliet Patch spoke with Braidwood Police Chief Nick Ficarello about the investigation. He said that Vinny Patel has owned The Sun Motel for more than a decade but Vinny Patel and the man who was his manager, Kenny Patel, are not related. The charge of aggravated battery stems from allegations that Kenny Patel was involved in improper touching of certain motel guests, the Braidwood chief said.

Chief Ficarello said that the Patels were not pimps, but "Vinny was just allowing certain circumstances to exist. He was not an actual pimp."

Braidwood Police estimates there may have been a dozen or so women who stayed at the motel at one point or another offering prostitution services. Even this week, Ficarello said an over the road trucker who had checked into The Sun Motel with his wife called Braidwood Police to report suspected criminal activity taking place at the motel, the chief told Patch.

According to a Braidwood Police Department press release, Vinny Patel is the owner of Sun Motel and he lives on Dawn Court in Des Plaines. Kenny Patel lives at Sun Motel and served as its manager, police noted.

Here's how the investigation went down:

The Sun Motel, 140 S. Hickory St., became the target of a Braidwood Police Department undercover sting. Police say they got numerous complaints from Braidwood citizens and highway travelers who had been staying at the hotel and suspected The Sun Motel was a criminal enterprise.

Braidwood Police opened their criminal probe in August 2018.

The Joliet Junior College Police Department also assisted in the investigation, Chief Ficarello noted.

During a four-year period of 2015-2019, Braidwood Police say they responded to a total of 14 drug overdoses at The Sun Motel including two overdose deaths, the most recent in February.

Kenny Patel and Vinny Patel are now lodged inside the Will County Adult Detention Facility and they were highlighted in Friday morning's daily edition of the Joliet Patch Will County Jail blotter, which is known as Fun Fridays.

"We're pretty confident that we've developed a solid case," Chief Ficarello remarked.