SPRINGFIELD – An undercover operation by special agents with the TBI Human Trafficking Unit, Springfield Police Department, Robertson County Sheriff’s Office, 19th Judicial District Attorney General’s Office, and TBI’s Tennessee Human Trafficking Task Force has resulted in the arrest of four men accused of seeking illicit sex from minors.
Over a two-day period beginning May 12th, as part of an undercover investigation aimed at addressing human trafficking in the Middle Tennessee area, undercover officers placed several decoy advertisements on websites known to be linked to prostitution and 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, agents, deputies, and detectives arrested four men, who were booked into the Robertson County Jail:
*Arbey Neptale Bartolon-Lopez (DOB 06/30/1990): One count Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, one count Solicitation of a Minor, one count Patronizing Prostitution. Bond: $310,000.
*Benjamin Wade Taylor (DOB 05/06/1997): One count Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, one count Solicitation of a Minor, one count Patronizing Prostitution. Bond: $160,000.
*Cornelius S. McKnight (DOB 09/22/2000): One count Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, one count Solicitation of a Minor, one count Patronizing Prostitution. Bond: $160,000.
*Angel Daniel Sanmiguel-Barron (DOB 07/09/2002): One count Trafficking for Commercial Sex Act, one count Solicitation of a Minor, one count Patronizing Prostitution. Bond: $160,000.
This is the fifth such operation conducted by TBI special agents and other law enforcement partners in 2023. Nine similar operations were conducted across the state in 2022, and 13 in 2021, all aimed at reducing human trafficking.
Booking photos of the individuals charged are available on the TBI Newsroom blog at www.tbinewsroom.com.
Information about human trafficking and TBI’s efforts to address this type of crime can be found online at www.ITHasToStop.com.
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