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A drug enterprise operating out of the Red Carpet Inn in Dumfries for years included the sex trafficking and abuse of women held there by force, according to an FBI affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Alexandria.
The court documents detail a prostitution venture involving at least eight women selling sex out of the hotel for “male pimps,” including Rashard Perrish Smith and Joshua Roderick, two suspects arrested in an early-morning Jan. 15 raid on the hotel by the FBI and Prince William County police.
Informants told investigators the women were not free to leave, their movements were restricted by drug habits, and they were “working under the men,” according to the affidavit filed by an FBI agent assigned to the multi-agency Northern Virginia Safe Streets task force.
One customer reported one of the women was beaten by a pimp, and another said they were aware of women being “beaten up” inside the hotel, the court record states.
Kosha Sharma, also known as “Ma” or “Mama K,” and her husband Tarun Sharma, known as “Pop” or “Pa,” who leased and operated the Red Carpet Inn at 17005 Dumfries Road, are alleged to have knowingly allowed and profited from the illicit activities, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
The couple is charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, a charge tied to the broader criminal scheme.
According to the FBI affidavit, the Red Carpet Inn was a known location to purchase narcotics and commercial sex and was frequented by individuals from “the Jungle,” a slang term for a nearby outdoor area in Woodbridge known for high rates of prostitution and drug distribution.
Police reports document hundreds of dispatches over several years for persistent illegal activities, including prostitution, drug distribution and violent altercations. The affidavit did not say where “the Jungle” is located, noting it changes frequently.
The affidavit states the Sharmas closely monitored the hotel, restricting visitors involved in illicit activity to the third floor and charging a higher rate for those rooms.
Kosha Sharma reportedly collected a cut of the profits from the sex and drug sales, routinely demanding payment from room to room, the court filing states. The Sharmas are accused of using illegal profits to pay the hotel’s lease and utilities.
The charges also name large-scale narcotics distributors Rashard Perrish Smith, Joshua Roderick and drug runner Margo Waldon Pierce, who is accused of selling narcotics directly to undercover agents.
Between May and December last year, the FBI and Prince William County police conducted two dozen undercover operations at the hotel, including at least nine prostitution encounters, the affidavit said. Undercover officers posed as prostitutes, pimps and “Johns” during those operations.
“All of the women working at the hotel worked for a male pimp,” the affidavit states, with one informant telling agents he was “aware of at least five such pimps.” Prices for the women ranged from $80 to $150, the affidavit said.
Undercover officers also made 15 controlled purchases of narcotics from individuals at the Red Carpet Inn, acquiring 275 grams of fentanyl across 11 separate controlled purchases.
In the court record, authorities identified Smith and Roderick as “large-scale narcotics distributors” working together in the Northern Virginia region, operating out of the Red Carpet Inn. Patrons identified Smith as one of the biggest narcotics dealers in the area, sourcing his supply from Baltimore, the affidavit states.
All five suspects are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, including 400 grams or more of fentanyl, the Department of Justice release said. No charges have been brought so far in connection with sex trafficking and prostitution.
