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16 arrested in Rutherford County Human Trafficking sting

SMYRNA – A two-day, undercover operation by several law enforcement agencies has resulted in the arrests of 16 men accused of seeking illicit sex from minors.

Over a two-day period beginning October 24th, as part of an undercover investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in Rutherford County, authorities placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to commercial sex.

The focus of the operation was to identify individuals seeking to engage in commercial sex acts with minors. As a result of the operation, authorities arrested 16 men and booked them into the Rutherford County Adult Detention Center.

• James H. Farmer, DOB 9-23-64, Franklin
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Deadrick Darrell Evans, DOB 1-16-90, Murfreesboro
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Miguel Erazo, DOB 9-24-76, Antioch
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Luis Miguel Garcia-Alvarez, DOB 6-12-85, La Vergne
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Paul Florez-Vazquez, DOB 3-25-89, Nashville
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Jose Guadalupe Zarate-Flores, DOB 12-1-79, Smyrna
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Taylor Moore, DOB 4-4-96, Rombauer, MO
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Tony Maddox, DOB 12-9-80, Cowan, TN
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Gameel Mesad, DOB 1-13-64, La Vergne
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• John Thomas Sulkowski, DOB 1-9-95, Murfreesboro
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Juan Manuel Tovar, DOB 7-11-72, Antioch
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Harry Garcia, DOB 10-22-75, Murfreesboro
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Michael Romero, DOB 5-21-88, Prospect
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Lian Sian Thang, DOB 7-15-87, Smyrna
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Manasranjan Murlidhar Rana, DOB 11-21-87, Nashville
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act
• Diego Mancilla Martinez, DOB 11-13-72, La Vergne
o Trafficking a Person for a Commercial Sex Act

Those participating in the operation included the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Office, the Smyrna Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the office of 16th District Attorney General Jennings Jones.

Rutherford County Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh said, “Child trafficking is a very serious problem in the nation and a crime we take very seriously. We appreciate the opportunity to participate in the investigation with our federal, state and county law enforcement partners.”

Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com.