Feb. 12 (UPI) — Eight Venezuelan gang members have been indicted in connection with sex trafficking women from South America to Tennessee, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
The family affair operated an illegal commercial sex and sex trafficking enterprise out of motels in Nashville, Tenn., from July 2022 through March 2024, DOJ said Tuesday after the indictment was unsealed.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday announced a ninth suspect, a 39-year-old woman, was arrested in Texas.
None of the defendants have legal status in the United States and they remain in detention in Nashville with an immigration detainer.
All eight are charged with conspiracy to commit interstate transportation for prostitution and conspiracy to commit interstate, and foreign travel or transportation in racketeering enterprises. The maximum sentence for these three crimes is five years in prison.
Three face a sex trafficking conspiracy charge, which carries a maximum punishment of life in prison: Yilibeth del Carmen Rivero-De Caldera, 51; Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca, 39; Kleiver Daniel Mota-Rivero, 35. Mota-Rivero also faces a charge of possession of a firearm by an undocumented person, which has a maximum sentence of five years.
The other five indicted were Wilmarys Del Valle Manzano Solorzano, 22; Frankyanna Del Valle Romero-Rivero, 30; Endrik Alexander Morales-Rivero, 25; Jesus Enrique Castillo Rodriguez, 24; and Ariannys Beatriz Gutierrez-Carrillo, 24.
The ninth suspect, Joana Carrizo-Aponte was arrested in Prairie View, Texas, on three counts of promoting prostitution, TBI said Wednesday. Plans are to extradite her to Waller County in Tennessee.
Rivero-De Caldera and Mota-Rivero are mother and son. And five of the other defendants were Mota Rivero’s girlfriend, his children or their spouses, according to the court filing.
A grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee had returned the four-count indictment charging them for their roles in recruiting young women from impoverished parts of Venezuela and other South and Central American countries, then transporting them across the U.S. southern border and across state lines.
They were blackmailed with debts, acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire said at a news conference.
“The arrests of the defendants today is a demonstration of our full commitment to end human trafficking wherever and whenever we can fight it, and to do whatever it takes to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes,” McGuire said.
Once they arrived in the United States, defendants utilized online commercial sex websites to post advertisements for the victims, according to the indictment. Internet and cellular phones were used to direct commercial sex buyers to engage in commercial sex with the victims at the motels before collecting money for the defendants’ benefit, DOJ said.
“This indictment demonstrates our commitment to stop human trafficking whenever and wherever we find it, and to hold those involved accountable,” McGuire said in a news release. “We are coming after transnational criminal organizations like TdA, but this case shows that we will also do whatever it takes to stop those who would traffic women and girls no matter who is behind their suffering.”
Special Agent in Charge Joseph E. Carrico of the FBI Nashville Field Office said: “Human trafficking is among the most heinous crimes the FBI encounters. This devastating crime exploits vulnerable members of communities nationwide, including those in Tennessee. The FBI and our partners are committed to rescuing victims, investigating and prosecuting traffickers, and supporting survivors.”
“Tren de Aragua is involved in all manner of criminal activity, including the sale of narcotics and dangerous drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jim Scott of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Louisville Division. “The dedicated men and women of DEA will continue to work side by side with our federal, state and local partners to rid our communities of the transnational criminal gangs, like TdA.”
Tren de Aragua began as a prison gang in Venezuela.
Metro Nashville Police were involved in the investigation.
“The trafficking of human beings is abhorrent to all of us, it’s a modern-day form of slavery,” Chief John Drake said. “I want to be very clear, our police department will always make human trafficking an investigative priority regardless of where the suspects are from and will work with our partners for an intentional and coordinated law enforcement response.”
