Murfreesboro woman arrested, 12+ victims identified amid human trafficking investigation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — An ongoing investigation into a human trafficking ring in Middle Tennessee resulted in the arrest of a Murfreesboro woman and the identification of at least a dozen victims.

This fall, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) said special agents in the Human Trafficking Unit developed information about a woman named “Yibi” — later identified as 50-year-old Yilibeth Rivero De Caldera of Murfreesboro — who was allegedly trafficking female Hispanic immigrants for commercial sex in Nashville.

Authorities said they later discovered De Caldera provided financial assistance for women from Central and South America to get to America before she “levied the victims with a large debt and forced them to engage in commercial sex acts at local hotels to pay back the debt.”

Following further investigation, the TBI’s Human Trafficking Unit — with some help from the Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force, the Metro Nashville Police Department, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Murfreesboro Police Department, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the 16th and 20th Judicial District Attorneys General Offices — conducted an operation on Thursday, Dec. 14 to gather evidence related to the case, as well as rescue victims, according to officials.

As a result, authorities said they identified more than a dozen victims, including seven women who accepted the resources offered through partner nonprofits, including Ancora TN, Rescue One Global, Thistle Farms, and Catholic Charities.

Meanwhile, the TBI said De Caldera was taken into custody in Rutherford County before being transferred to Davidson County on warrants charging her with nine counts of trafficking for a commercial sex act. As of Friday, Dec. 15, she is being held in the Davidson County Jail on a $900,000 bond.

As the investigation into this trafficking ring continues, officials said there is potential for additional arrests, charges, and victim identifications.

If you have any information about De Caldera or this criminal enterprise, you are asked to contact the TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND. Any victims who may need help are encouraged to call the Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-855-558-6484.

To find out more about human trafficking, the warning signs, and Tennessee’s response to the crime, follow this link.