Man Who Was Falsely Accused Of Soliciting Prostitution In South Florida Sting Reveals Plans To Sue

Just weeks after 25 people were arrested and charged in South Florida as part of an investigation into sex trafficking and prostitution in the area, a Jensen Beach man is planning to sue over his arrest in connection to the sting. 

On Tuesday, Sandipkumar Patel detailed the incident that led to his lawsuit against the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, saying, “On Feb. 25, I thought my life had ended.”

“Shame and dishonor not only fell upon me, but upon my family and our family name,” Patel explained of the humiliation in being falsely accused of soliciting prostitution and linked to human trafficking in a Florida spa.

According to WPTV, Patel’s attorney David Golden said Martin County Sheriff’s deputies went to Patel home and told Patel’s wife that he was on video paying for sex in Florida Therapy Spa in Stuart on November 19. 

“When they told me what the charges were I couldn’t catch my breath,” Patel’s wife added. “I was led to believe the man I love and trust with our lives not only broken the trust, but brought shame to our family name.” 

Patel was wrongfully identified and mistakenly arrested after Martin County Sheriff investigators ran the tags on a blue Porsche that left the spa, which was registered to a woman with the very common last name of Patel. Officials then identified a man with the same name, who they believed to resemble the man in a surveillance video. 

Problem is, according to Golden, “there [was] no connection between that vehicle and their property, or his family at all,” so, according to Patel, the public embarrassment and humiliation “did not have to happen.” But now, “there is nothing that can erase the hell my family and I’ve been through,” he added. 

In the meantime, the Sheriff’s department has since dropped the charges and released a statement about their mistake. 

“When we discovered that Mr. Patel was mistakenly identified and arrested, we personally met with him to further investigate. As a result, we notified the media and immediately began actions to pay his expenses and start the process of expunging his misdemeanor arrest record. Because Mr. Patel has obtained an attorney and announced his intentions to sue the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, we must limit further public comment.”