Local detective work led to arrest in child pornography case

Press release from Gainesville Police Department

Travonta Deangelo Rivers (DOB: 04/06/1988) was recently sentenced to 292 months in federal prison following his conviction on two counts of receipt of child pornography. Rivers’ sentencing was based on his conviction on these charges from July of 2021.

The investigation originally stemmed from the Gainesville Police Department Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Division, which investigated Rivers in 2019. In 2019, ICAC Detective Corporal Matthew Holt observed Rivers trading images and videos of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) through a peer-to-peer network. A search warrant of Rivers’ home was conducted and electronic devices were seized, but Rivers wasn’t located. It was quickly determined that Rivers was working in St. John’s County. With the assistance of the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office ICAC Division, Rivers was immediately located and arrested on an unrelated warrant. Detective Corporal Holt interviewed Rivers that day, and Rivers denied being the subject trading CSAM. A forensic analysis of Rivers’ personal desktop and laptop computer revealed a number of CSAM videos. Rivers would be federally indicted based on this offense, and the case was adopted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

In December of 2020, GPD Detective Corporal Holt observed another suspect sharing similar CSAM content through a peer-to-peer network. Through the legal process, Detective Corporal Holt identified the residence where the CSAM content was being traded. This household was linked back to Rivers. With the assistance of the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, a search warrant was served at the residence, and Rivers was arrested by HSI. GPD ICAC seized additional electronic devices, which yielded more evidence pertaining to the offenses.