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Press Release

Dallas Man Sentenced To Serve A Total Of 24 Years In Federal Prison For Producing And Possessing Child Pornography Involving A Minor Less Than Two Years Old

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Texas

DALLAS — James Brian Rivers, 23, of Dallas, was sentenced this afternoon by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to serve a total of 288 months (24 years) in federal prison and 15 years supervised release. He pleaded guilty in January 2014 to an indictment charging one count of production of child pornography and one count of possession of prepubescent child pornography. U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas made today’s announcement.

Rivers used the camera function on his cell phone to take sexually explicit photos and a video of a 22-month-old child. Rivers left his cell phone at a neighbor’s home in June 2013, and the neighbor looked through the cell phone and observed multiple images of child pornography and called 911. When officers with the Dallas Police Department arrived at the residence, they seized the cell phone and obtained a search warrant for it. A forensic review of the phone revealed multiple images and one video depicting child pornography involving a prepubescent child.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative, which was launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc/ and click on the tab “resources.”

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Dallas Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Camille Sparks prosecuted.

Updated June 22, 2015