Nine Venezuelan Nationals Plead Guilty in Nashville Sex Trafficking Case

Nine Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty for their involvement in a sex trafficking operation that targeted women by promising jobs in the United States. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the defendants recruited women in Venezuela, facilitated their smuggling into the U.S., and transported them to Nashville, where they were coerced into prostitution under the threat of violence and inflated debts. The leaders of the operation, Yilibeth Carmen Rivero-de Caldera and her son, Kleiver Daniel Mota Rivero, allegedly used firearms and intimidation tactics to control the victims. Eight defendants face maximum penalties of life in prison, while a ninth could receive up to 20 years. Sentencing is set for the week of November 16. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and other agencies.