Nine Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty for their roles in a sex trafficking ring that lured women to the U.S. with promises of jobs before forcing them into prostitution in the Nashville area, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.
According to court documents, the organization recruited women in Venezuela, arranged for their smuggling into the U.S., and then transported them to Nashville. Once there, victims were told they owed inflated smuggling debts that could only be repaid through commercial sex acts. Women who refused were threatened with violence against themselves and their relatives still living in Venezuela. The traffickers also took a share of the women's earnings.
Federal prosecutors identified Yilibeth Carmen Rivero-de Caldera and her son, Kleiver Daniel Mota Rivero, as leaders of the operation, enlisting relatives and associates to assist. Prosecutors alleged Mota claimed ties to a Venezuelan prison gang and spoke of a prior homicide sentence in Venezuela to intimidate victims.
Eight defendants pleaded guilty to charges carrying maximum penalties of life in prison, while a ninth defendant faces up to 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for the week of Nov. 16.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and other federal, state, and local agencies.