New Orleans Man Pleads Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that JOSEPH RIVERA, age 34, of New Orleans, pled guilty today to a one-count Indictment charging him with receipt of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.

According to court documents, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at RIVERA’S residence on August 6, 2015, during which time they seized numerous electronic items including two computers, two external digital storage devices, and two DVDs contained images and videos of child pornography.  A forensic examination of the device revealed that RIVERA’S used the devices to search for, download, and save images and videos of children as young as approximately one-year-old engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  The forensic examination located approximately 6900 images and 885 videos of prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit on RIVERA’S digital devices.

RIVERA faces a mandatory minimum of five years’ imprisonment and a maximum term of imprisonment of twenty years, followed by up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine per count.  He can also be required to register as a sex offender.  U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier set sentencing for January 26, 2017.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Polite praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg and Special Assistant United States Attorney J. Ryan McLaren are in charge of the prosecution.