On Wednesday, the Department of Justice unsealed a four-count indictment against eight Venezuelans alleging their “respective roles in a transnational commercial sex enterprise,” according to a press release.
The defendants’ ages ranged from 24 to 51 years old and operated the enterprise out of a Nashville motel from July 2022 through March 2024. The defendants would facilitate the trafficking of the victims to the United States and then advertise their services on commercial sex websites.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations added a ninth defendant, a woman, who is “alleged to have directly facilitated the exploitation of the scheme’s victims,” according to a TBI press release.
The women were allegedly lured to travel to the United States with the promise of a better life but then required to perform sex work to pay off exceptionally high debts.
“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 traffick women and girls no matter who is behind their suffering,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Robert E. McGuire for the Middle District of Tennessee.
The DOJ press release adds that three of the defendants were additionally charged with a sex trafficking conspiracy after using force, fraud, and coercion to compel the victims to engage in sexual acts. The defendants invoked the Venezuelan gang Tren De Aragua and the threat of violence to strong-arm their victims.
“The success of this operation to stop Tren da Aragua operating in our communities is a significant step forward in our ongoing battle against human trafficking and transnational organized crime,” said Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud of the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Nashville.
Another defendant was charged with possession of a firearm by an illegal alien. The sex trafficking charges have a maximum of life in prison, while the other three counts each carry a maximum of five years. The illegal firearm charge has a maximum penalty of 15 years.
BREAKING: Eight illegal immigrants from Venezuela have been arrested for orchestrating a multi-state sex trafficking ring tied to the notorious Tren de Aragua gang in Tennessee.
The defendants lured women from South America to the US with promises of jobs and a better life —… pic.twitter.com/aIw7f2OV0f
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The post DOJ Charges Eight Venezuelans For Roles in a “Transnational Commercial Sex Enterprise” – One Additional Charged by Tennessee Bureau of Investigations appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.