Nine Venezuelans Plead Guilty in Nashville Sex-Trafficking Ring, 8 Face Life Sentences
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 16
Nine Venezuelans Plead Guilty in Nashville Sex-Trafficking Ring, 8 Face Life Sentences
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 16
Summary
Nine Venezuelan nationals admitted roles in a Nashville-area sex-trafficking operation that prosecutors said lured women from Venezuela with fake job offers and forced them into prostitution.
Federal court filings say the group smuggled victims into the U.S., then imposed inflated travel debts that could be repaid only through commercial sex acts while taking a cut of the earnings.
Yilibeth Carmen Rivero-de Caldera and her son, Kleiver Daniel Mota Rivero, were identified as leaders; prosecutors said they and another defendant used guns and threats against victims and relatives in Venezuela.
Eight defendants pleaded guilty to charges carrying maximum penalties of life in prison, while a ninth faces up to 20 years; sentencing is set for the week of Nov. 16.
The case, investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and Tennessee authorities, underscores U.S. efforts to target trafficking networks tied to migrant smuggling.