Nine Venezuelan citizens admit guilt in Nashville sex trafficking operation

Venezuelan Sex Trafficking Ring Pleads Guilty

Nine Venezuelans have admitted guilt in connection with a sex trafficking operation that federal prosecutors say was run by a family. This scheme reportedly targeted vulnerable women, luring them to the United States with false job offers before coercing them into prostitution in the Nashville area.

The U.S. Department of Justice revealed on Thursday that the individuals involved in this organization recruited women from Venezuela, arranged for their smuggling into the U.S., and then transported them to Nashville. Victims were reportedly told they incurred debts from their smuggling, which they could only repay through commercial sex.

Documents from the court suggest that those who resisted were threatened with violence against themselves and their families back in Venezuela.

Prosecutors stated that the traffickers also took a cut of the women’s earnings as they attempted to pay off these debts.

Authorities identified Ilibeth Carmen Rivero-de Caldera and her son, Cliver Daniel Mota Rivero, as leaders of the operation. They allegedly involved relatives and associates to help manage the scheme.

Investigators indicated that Rivero, Mota, and co-defendant Ramon de Jesús Velasquez Martinez used weapons and threats to intimidate the victims. Moreover, Mota claimed connections to a Venezuelan prison gang and referenced past murder convictions to instill fear in the women and discourage them from escaping.

“Human smuggling and trafficking not only exploit individuals but also compromise the integrity of our borders,” Assistant Attorney General A. Theisen Duba remarked. “These convictions show that protecting vulnerable individuals and securing our borders can go hand in hand.”

Of the nine individuals, eight have pleaded guilty to charges that could lead to life sentences, while the ninth could face up to 20 years.

Sentencing is set for the week of November 16th.

This investigation was carried out by Homeland Security Investigations, in collaboration with the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and various other federal, state, and local agencies.