9 Venezuelans plead guilty in sex trafficking case involving migrant women

Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald on Jul 16, 2026

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Nine Venezuelan nationals have pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a sex trafficking organization that lured vulnerable Venezuelan women to the United States with false promises of employment before forcing them into prostitution to repay inflated smuggling debts, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

According to court documents, the organization recruited women in Venezuela, arranged for their illegal entry into the United States and sent them to Nashville, Tennessee, where they were told they owed large debts for their transportation.

Prosecutors said the victims were forced into commercial sex work to repay those debts and were threatened with violence against themselves and their relatives in Venezuela if they refused.

Federal prosecutors said the scheme was led by Yilibeth Carmen Rivero-de Caldera and her son, Kleiver Daniel Mota Rivero, who relied on relatives and associates to operate the network.

Authorities said the pair, together with co-defendant Ramon De Jesus Velasquez Martinez, used firearms and threats of violence to intimidate victims into compliance. Investigators also said Mota cultivated the belief that he had ties to a Venezuelan prison gang and openly discussed a prior homicide conviction in Venezuela to reinforce the threats.

The Justice Department said members of the organization handled nearly every aspect of the operation, from arranging the victims’ smuggling into the country to posting online advertisements for commercial sex, scheduling appointments with clients and collecting the proceeds. In addition to profiting from prostitution, the defendants collected payments on the victims’ inflated smuggling debts.

Rivero, Mota, Frankyanna Del Valle Romero-Rivero and Endrik Alexander Morales-Rivero pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, conspiracy to bring undocumented migrants into the United States for financial gain and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Jesus Enrique Castillo Rodriguez pleaded guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, while Ariannys Beatriz Gutierrez-Carrillo, Yuribetzi Del Valle Gomez Machuca and Velasquez pleaded guilty to sex trafficking conspiracy. Wilmarys Del Valle Manzano Solorzano pleaded guilty to conspiracy to smuggle migrants for financial gain and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Most of the charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, while the offenses admitted by Manzano carry a maximum penalty of 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for the week of Nov. 16, with a federal judge to determine the punishment after considering federal sentencing guidelines.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said the case illustrates the close connection between migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

“Human smuggling and trafficking operations represent a dangerous convergence of exploitation and lawlessness,” Duva said. “These perpetrators profited off human suffering while chipping away at the integrity of our border.”

U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek for the Middle District of Tennessee said the organization “exploited vulnerable women, enriched itself through coercion and violence, and showed complete disregard for human dignity and the rule of law.”

The investigation was conducted by the Homeland Security Task Force in Nashville, a multi-agency partnership that includes Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshals Service and several other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.

Prosecutors said the case also received support from the Justice Department’s Joint Task Force Alpha, which focuses on dismantling transnational human smuggling and trafficking organizations operating throughout the Americas.

Federal officials said the convictions are part of a broader effort to dismantle criminal networks that exploit migrants for profit while targeting the organizations responsible for human trafficking and alien smuggling inside the United States.