SALT LAKE CITY-The owner and manager of a Salt Lake City motel are facing criminal charges because of accusations that they encouraged prostitutes to use their rooms for their business.

Tuesday, 55-year-old Rezvan Saisani and 29-year-old Sameer Syed were charged in 3rd District Court with engagement in a pattern of unlawful activity and money laundering.

These are second-degree felonies. Furthermore, they were charged with three counts of exploiting prostitution, a third-degree felony, and being a public nuisance. That is a class B misdemeanor.

The Statewide Enforcement of Crimes by the Undocumented Resident task force in the Utah Attorney General’s office, as they collaborated with authorities from the Salt Lake City Police Department, began investigating the Salt City Inn last summer.

This is because it was “being used for commercial sex and drug trafficking,” per charging documents.

Saisani is listed on court documents as the owner and operator of Salt City Inn and Syed as the manager.

The documents confirm Saisani and Syeed were aware of the property being used for these purposes. Beyond this, they encouraged such activities so they could financially benefit, the charges assert.

The men collected “visitor fees” from “every party visiting a commercial sex worker at The City Inn.

Agents were told this fee was a $10 minimum and was directly paid to Saisani or Syeed by any part coming on to the City Inn property to engage in a transaction with one of the commercial sex workers residing at the City Inn long-term.

The men also traded free rent with some of the prostitutes in exchange for sex acts, per the charges.

Investigators conducted undercover operations at the motel as part of their investigation.

Several prostitutes were also interviewed for the investigation. Many of them told authorities that Saisani and Syed knew commercial sex work was ongoing at the establishment and encouraged it, per the charges.

Agents obtained six search warrants for rooms and locations at the Salt City Inn. These warrants were served in early February and resulted in several people being charged with drug distribution.

51-year-old James Butler Brown was charged Tuesday with the exploitation of prostitution, a third-degree felony. He was also charged with two counts of aiding prostitution, a class A misdemeanor.

Per charges, Brown was a resident at the Salt City Inn and sold narcotics from his room. He referred his drug clients to the sex workers as well, per the charges.

Prosecutors noted Sasiani “has significant financial resources should he choose to flee this jurisdiction.”