As part of an investigation into human trafficking, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) arrested six men who were attempting to have sex with minors while also rescuing seven underage girls who were suspected to be at risk of being trafficked.
“Over a two-day period starting August 16th, as part of an undercover operation aimed at addressing human trafficking in the Montgomery County area, officers placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and commercial sex,” TBI said in a release. “The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors.”
TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit, the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the Clarksville Police Department all participated in the operation.
The six men who were arrested are identified as:
Franklin Poe (DOB 08/03/1999), Memphis – Two counts Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.
Andre Johnson (DOB 03/02/1990), Fort Campbell, KY – One count each Possession of Firearm during Commission of Dangerous Felony, Solicitation of a Minor, Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.
Dashuan Ramey (DOB 11/22/1991), Clarksville – One count Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.
James Francis (DOB 09/02/1981), Clarksville – One count Promoting Prostitution. $25,000 bond.
Patrick Kugler (DOB 02/07/1995), Clarksville – One count Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.
Anthony Rice (DOB 06/02/1992), Clarksville – Two counts Trafficking for Sexual Servitude.
Bond amounts for the men range from $5,000 to $145,000 for Johnson, the only person accused of possessing a weapon during the sting.
TBI also went about cleverly identifying potential human trafficking victims.
“In an effort to identify human trafficking victims, law enforcement officials reached out to ads that had been placed on websites linked to prostitution and commercial sex ads,” TBI said. “As a result of this part of the operation, seven individuals were recovered as potential victims of human trafficking and were offered services through an HT victim service organization.”
In March, TBI agents arrested two illegal aliens living in Tennessee who were accused of sex trafficking illegal alien women. Illegal alien women often become victims of human traffickers when they enter the United States to pay off their debts to the traffickers.
As reported by The Tennessee Star:
In the fall of 2023, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) Human Trafficking Unit arrested Yilibeth Rivero De Caldera on nine counts of Trafficking for a Commercial Sex Act. Her victims, the agency said, were Central and South American female migrants who were forced into sex slavery to pay off debts owed to Rivero De Caldera in exchange for Rivero De Caldera smuggling them into the United States.
Wednesday, TBI along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Metro Nashville Police Department (MNPD) and the United States Marshals Service arrested Kleiver Daniel Moto Rivero in what is now being called an ongoing investigation into the sex trafficking operation.
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Peter D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Peter on Twitter/X.
