Miguel Rivera, Child Pornography, Texas 2020

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Miguel Rivera Sentenced to 40 Years for Child Pornography

A Houston man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for producing and possessing child pornography, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.

Miguel Rivera, 41, pleaded guilty on October 30, 2020, to production, receipt, and possession of child pornography. On April 4, 2023, U.S. District Judge Charles Eskridge ordered him to serve a 480-month sentence.

The court also heard a statement from the victim detailing how Rivera’s heinous acts affected her childhood and still do today. In handing down the sentence, the court noted the seriousness of the offense, promoting respect for the law, and deterrence of such criminal conduct.

Rivera will serve the rest of his life on supervised release following the completion of his prison term, during which time he will have to comply with numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.

In June 2019, law enforcement located an IP address with a folder containing child pornography using a publicly available peer-to-peer file-sharing network. The IP address was linked to Rivera and his residence.

Forensic analysis resulted in the discovery of 56,250 images of child pornography on his electronic devices. Approximately 412 videos were over five minutes in length, the longest of which was nearly an hour. Rivera also produced 3,200 images and over 160 videos of sexually abusing a minor while the child was unconscious.

Rivera admitted he had been downloading child pornography for at least a decade. He has been and will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zahra Jivani Fenelon prosecuted the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.