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Nine Venezuelans have pleaded guilty to what federal prosecutors described as a family-run sex-trafficking ring that lured vulnerable women to the US with promises of jobs before forcing them into prostitution in the Nashville area.
The US Department of Justice announced on Thursday that members of this organization recruited women in Venezuela, arranged for them to be trafficked to the US and transported them to Nashville. Once there, prosecutors said the victims were told they owed money-trafficking debts that could only be paid for commercial sex.
According to court documents, women who refuse are threatened with torture for themselves and their relatives who still live in Venezuela.
Prosecutors said traffickers also took part of the women’s earnings while collecting debts.
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A Super 8 motel in Nashville has been identified in court documents as one of the locations where federal prosecutors say members of a Venezuelan sex-trafficking group. (DOJ)
The authorities have identified Yilibeth Carmen Rivero-de Caldera and her son, Kleiver Daniel Mota Rivero, as the leaders of this plan, saying that they are including their relatives and associates to help in carrying out this plan.
Investigators say Rivero, Mota and co-defendant Ramon De Jesus Velasquez Martinez used firearms and threats of violence to intimidate the victims. Prosecutors also allege Mota said he had ties to a Venezuelan prison gang and openly talked about a previous murder conviction in Venezuela to prevent victims from denying it or leaving.
“Human trafficking and human trafficking must be a dangerous combination of exploitation and lawlessness,” wrote Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva in a statement. “These criminals profited from human suffering while fleeing the integrity of our border. These crimes show that protecting vulnerable people and protecting the border are not competing goals.”
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An exterior view of a Super 8 motel in Nashville identified in court documents as one of the locations federal prosecutors say was used in a sex-trafficking scheme. (DOJ)
Nine defendants have pleaded guilty to charges that carry life sentences, while the ninth defendant faces up to 20 years in prison.
Sentencing is scheduled for the week of Nov. 16.
The SoMaTel hotel in Nashville has been identified in court documents as one of the locations federal prosecutors say was used in a sex-trafficking scheme. (DOJ)
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The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations alongside the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and other federal, state and local agencies.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Homeland Security Investigations and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for more information.
