Brandon Eugene Rivera, 43, of Denver, Colorado, was sentenced to a term of 240 months in federal prison after previously pleading guilty for sexual exploitation of children and receipt of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“There is no greater charge than the protection of our children,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.”
In January 2024, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a complaint from a mother who reported that a man (later determined to be Rivera) had been sending sexually explicit material to her 11-year-old daughter through Facebook Messenger. The investigation revealed that Rivera used an alias on Facebook Messenger and a false persona to deceive the girl into thinking that she was communicating with a teenaged boy. Rivera also communicated with the girl using Facebook’s video-chat feature. In their communications, Rivera expressed his desire to engage in in-person sexual conduct with her and convinced the girl to send him nude photographs of herself.
“I’m extremely proud of the partnership between the law enforcement personnel of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Homeland Security,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Mac McNeill. Their commitment to protecting our communities was evident by their hard work and dedication involved in this successful investigation.”
The investigation determined that Rivera was the user of the Facebook account which was communicating with the girl and that Rivera did so from his residence in Denver, Colorado. In March 2024, federal law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at Rivera’s apartment. Agents seized electronic devices and interviewed Rivera. He confessed to possessing child pornography and communicating with the Jefferson County girl. During a search of Rivera’s electronic devices, agents discovered a thumb drive containing approximately 77 digital folders, the titles of which were the first and last names of minor females (including the Jefferson County girl). Rivera admitted to procuring the production of child pornography from 14 girls between 9 and 16 years of age who lived all over the country. Rivera admitted to using his Facebook account to pretend to be teenaged boy so he could trick the girls into sending him nude images of themselves. Additionally, the investigation revealed that there were over 2,400 other child pornography images and videos stored Rivera’s electronic devices.
“This predator’s heinous actions toward children on the internet represents grave violations of the law and is detrimental to the safety of our most vulnerable population,” said Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “The court’s decision sends a clear message to those who threaten our children’s futures—HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners at all levels, will work tirelessly to hold accountable anyone who attempts to exploit the innocence of children.”
Rivera’s prison sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to all sex offender conditions. He was ordered to forfeit various electronic devices that he used to commit the offenses and was ordered to pay $27,000 in restitution to his victims.
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case.
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