In precedent-setting case, two Bartonsville men and a hotel convicted of sex and drug trafficking

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Two Bartonsville men and a company that ran hotels in Stroudsburg and Bartonsville have been convicted of sex and drug trafficking offenses by a jury in federal court in Scranton in a case the U.S. Attorney’s Office said is precedent setting.

Faizal Bhimani, 43, and Nazim Hassam, 64; Om Sri Sai, Inc., a Pennsylvania corporation, and the Pocono Plaza Inn hotel, formerly known as the Quality Inn in Stroudsburg, were convicted Friday of sex trafficking and drug trafficking charges after a two-week jury trial.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania said the case marks the first time a hotel, a hotel owner, or a hotel general manager have been convicted of criminal sex trafficking offenses for aiding others to engage in that activity in Pennsylvania.

The Howard Johnson off Route 611 in Bartonsville.
The Pocono Plaza Inn in Stroudsburg. An owner and manager of hotels in Monroe County, including Pocono Plaza Inn, were involved in what prosecutors are calling a "precedent setting" federal drug and sex trafficking case.

The case started six years ago with an FBI investigation into the “Black P Stone” gang, a set of the Bloods, that federal prosecutors said was involved in gun violence and drug trafficking in Monroe County.

In 2014 the reputed leader of the gang, which is based in Chicago but has ties to the Poconos, New York and Augusta, Maine, allegedly sanctioned a fatal drive-by shooting in Hamilton Township, then helped hide the alleged murder weapon and one of the alleged shooters, according to court documents.

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