GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA –Travonta Deangelo Rivers, 34, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced to 292 months in federal prison following his conviction on two counts of receipt of child pornography. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentenced.
Rivers was convicted by a federal jury in July 2021. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that a search warrant at Rivers’ residence in May 2020, resulted in the seizure of computers which Rivers used to receive and share numerous videos of child pornography. Rivers was located and arrested in December 2020, and again found in possession of a computer which he had used to receive and share child pornography.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Coody. “We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who prey upon our children.”
“Crimes against children will always be a primary focus for HSI and our law enforcement partners,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Law enforcement partnerships, such as with the Gainesville Police Department, and targeted predator operations will continue to make our communities safer for everyone.”
“We will continue to work together to keep our children safe from victimization,” said Alachua County Sheriff Clovis Watson, Jr. “We’ve been effective in our collaboration and will continue to be. We are better together.”
Rivers’ prison sentence will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to sex offender conditions.
This conviction was a result from the collaborative investigation of Homeland Security Investigations, the Gainesville Police Department, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, and the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office as part of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams prosecuted the case.