A federal indictment was unsealed in the Middle District of Tennessee, charging eight Venezuelan nationals with offenses related to their involvement in a transnational commercial sex enterprise. The defendants, Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero, Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca, Wilmarys Del Valle Manzano Solorzano, Frankyanna Del Valle Romero-Rivero, Endrik Alexander Morales-Rivero, Jesus Enrique Castillo Rodriguez, and Ariannys Beatriz Gutierrez-Carrillo, are accused of operating an illegal sex trafficking operation out of Nashville motels from July 2022 to March 2024.
According to the indictment, the defendants facilitated the victims’ arrival in the United States, posted advertisements for commercial sex online, and directed buyers to engage with the victims at motels. The profits were then collected by the defendants. The operation reportedly involved ties to the Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua.
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Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire emphasized the commitment to combating human trafficking and holding those responsible accountable. Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and other local and federal agencies were involved in the investigation. The defendants face severe penalties if convicted, including life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.
The charges further include a sex trafficking conspiracy involving force, fraud, and coercion, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. The mother-son duo, Rivero-De Caldera and Mota-Rivero, are also accused of imposing a coercive debt scheme on victims.
The investigation was a collaborative effort among the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the DEA, and the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, along with other partners.
For those seeking help or more information on human trafficking, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is available at 1 (888) 373-7888, and more resources can be found at www.humantraffickinghotline.org and www.justice.gov/humantrafficking. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Source: Read Original Release
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