Man sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for production and receipt of child pornography

Houston, Texas: On Friday, April 23 Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery for the Southern District of Texas announced that 41-year-old Miguel Rivera was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for production and possession of child pornography.

In June 2019, law enforcement found the IP address of a folder that was using a publicly available peer-to-peer file-sharing network. That IP address traced back to Rivera's residence and a search warrant was then executed.

"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."

According to the statement released by the Department of Justice, Rivera was also found to have "produced 3,200 images and over 160 videos of sexually abusing a minor while the child was unconscious."

Rivera had been downloading child pornography for at least a decade.

On October 30, 2020, Rivera pleaded guilty to production, receipt and possession of child pornography.

Once released from prison, Rivera will be required to submit to supervised release for the remainder of his life which will seek to enforce "numerous requirements designed to restrict his access to children and the internet." He will additionally be required to register as a sex offender.