Anil Patel, the former owner of the now-demolished La Village Motel in Metairie and its sister property, the Trade Winds Motel, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to tax fraud. Patel, 46, admitted in federal court that he failed to report nearly $1.4 million in income between 2006 and 2009, according to U.S. Attorney Dana Boente's office.
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office seized both La Village, 100 Manson Ave., and The Trade Winds, 3616 Airline Drive, in March 2010. Investigators arrested Patel and his wife Mayaben Patel, for allegedly dodging local taxes and turning a blind eye to prostitution and drug use at their properties.