Ex-Desert Star Motel general manager gets 4 years
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — The former general manager of the notorious Desert Star Motel, which authorities raided three years ago following an investigation into sex trafficking, has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Roy Gene Drees was sentenced Monday to the prison term plus three years of supervised release, records show. He was ordered to surrender on Aug. 26 to begin serving his sentence.
Drees, a convicted sex offender, pleaded guilty last year to a count of using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise and aiding and abetting.
Jatinbhai Bhakta, former owner of the now-shuttered motel on Union Avenue, was sentenced last year to four years in prison after pleading guilty and admitting pimps frequently used the motel to arrange liaisons.
Local and federal investigators built their case through a years-long investigation in which multiple pimps and prostitutes were arrested and underage victims identified.
On Jan. 22, 2021, authorities served a search warrant and arrested Bhakta and Drees. During the raid they encountered 15 prostitutes and three pimps, according to court filings.
Although Drees argued he was only an employee, federal prosecutors say the investigation revealed “he was intimately involved in the operation of the business” — even living in an apartment on the property.
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