Carlos Rivera, Child Porn/Molestation Conn. 7/10/06
Life sentence sought in child sex case BRIDGEPORT, Conn. -- A convicted sex offender charged with making child pornography and preying on boys over the Internet faces life in prison in the first Connecticut case brought under a federal two-strikes-and-you're-out law for sex crimes. Carlos Rivera, 35, was charged last year with using the Internet to entice two boys, 15 and 13, into sexual encounters. Prosecutors last month added a charge of producing child pornography, triggering the Protect Act, which mandates life sentences for repeat offenders. Rivera's first strike was a 1996 conviction for sexually assaulting an 11-year-old. The law is written narrowly and only covers certain offenses, so just using the Internet to entice the boys would not have triggered the law. Rivera appeared briefly in federal court Wednesday to hear Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Glover explain the potential sentence if he is convicted at trial in July. Rivera, who has pleaded not guilty, spoke only to tell the judge he understood. In February, federal prosecutors in Maryland became the first in the nation to use the 2003 law when 46-year-old James A. Reigle Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for producing child pornography after having already served time for molestation and possession of child porn. In the Connecticut case, prosecutors say Rivera maintained a handwritten list of his sexual partners. The list included at least one of the two boys, prosecutors said, as well as his age, the year they met, whether he was a virgin, and the number of times they had sex. Prosecutors said Rivera also bragged about his sex life, telling someone online in 2004 that he had met and had recently had sex with "five virgin guys" and offering the 15-year-old boy's name and age as evidence. The Protect Act also set heightened penalties for traveling overseas to have sex with minors _ a practice known as "sex tourism" _ and encouraged states to set up Amber Alert systems to find abducted children. http://www.wfsb.com/Global/story.asp?S=4970223

Child Sex Trial Begins With Life Sentence On The Line Published July 10 2006, 1:42 PM EDT NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A convicted sex offender facing life in prison under a federal two-strikes-and-you're-out law went on trial today in what supporters call a poster case for why the law was written. Carlos Rivera, who was convicted in 1996 of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old relative, now faces federal charges of making child pornography and preying on teenage boys over the Internet. Rivera, 35, is the first person in Connecticut and the second in the nation charged under the two-strikes law. One teenager testified Monday that he met Rivera in an Internet chat room. Shortly after his 13th birthday, while on a family vacation near Washington, D.C., he and Rivera had sex in the hotel his family was visiting, the boy testified. "He was touching me. We were touching each other," the boy, a Nebraska native, said. "That's when he said I needed to take my clothes off." Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Glover said the trial will include testimony from a Connecticut teenager who says he rode his bike to meet Rivera in the woods for sex. A Massachusetts boy will testify that he met Rivera in a hotel room and posed for naked pictures, Glover said. Rivera kept a handwritten list of his sexual partners, a list that included the names of at least two underage boys, prosecutors said. Rivera pleaded not guilty to the charges but his attorney said he would offer little rebuttal to the witnesses. Instead, he told jurors that prosecutors would be unable to prove the case and encouraged jurors to separate abhorrent or immoral behavior from criminal behavior. The two-strikes provision, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Wis., was incorporated into a 2003 crime bill that also encouraged states to set up Amber Alert systems to find kidnapped children and heighten penalties for traveling overseas for sex with minors. "This guy seems made to order for the two-strikes law," Green said. Civil liberties groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, opposed the mandatory life sentence provision, saying it could result in life sentences for 19-year-olds who have consensual sex with their 15-year-old girlfriends. They said it also removed judicial discretion from sentencing. In February, federal prosecutors in Maryland became the first in the nation to use the law when 46-year-old James A. Reigle Jr. was sentenced to life in prison for producing child pornography after having already served time for molestation and possession of child porn. Because the 2003 law is narrowly written, the mandatory sentence will only be triggered if Rivera is convicted of producing child pornography. "This is a guy who is clearly unwilling or unable to stop," Green said. "That guy should never be out on the streets again and I don't have any problem saying that." http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/local/state/hc-10124539.apds.m0339.bc-ct--pornjul10,0,6720282.story?coll=hc-headlines-local-wire

Conn. sex offender facing life sentence as trial begins Tuesday, July 11, 2006 By Matt Apuzzo THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW HAVEN, Conn.— A convicted sex offender facing life in prison under a federal two-strikes-and-you’re-out law went on trial yesterday in what supporters call a poster case for why the law was written. Carlos Rivera, who was convicted in 1996 of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old relative, now faces federal charges of making child pornography and preying on teenage boys over the Internet. Rivera, 35, is the first person in Connecticut and the second in the nation charged under the two-strikes law. One teenager testified yesterday that he met Rivera in an Internet chat room. Shortly after his 13th birthday, while on a family vacation near Washington, D.C., he and Rivera had sex in the hotel his family was visiting, the boy testified. “He was touching me. We were touching each other,” the boy, a Nebraska native, said. “That’s when he said I needed to take my clothes off.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Glover said the trial will include testimony from a Connecticut teenager who says he rode his bike to meet Rivera in the woods for sex. A Massachusetts boy will testify that he met Rivera in a hotel room and posed for naked pictures, Glover said. Rivera kept a handwritten list of his sexual partners, a list that included the names of at least two underage boys. Rivera pleaded not guilty to the charges but his lawyer said he would offer little rebuttal to the witnesses. Instead, he told jurors that prosecutors would be unable to prove the case and encouraged jurors to separate abhorrent or immoral behavior from criminal behavior. The two-strikes provision, introduced by U.S. Rep. Mark A. Green, R-Wis., was incorporated into a 2003 crime bill that also encouraged states to set up Amber Alert systems to find kidnapped children and heighten penalties for traveling overseas for sex with minors. “This guy seems made to order for the two-strikes law,” Green said. “This is a guy who is clearly unwilling or unable to stop.” http://www.telegram.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060711/NEWS/607110440

Convicted Sex Offender Faces Life Behind Bars POSTED: 4:36 pm EDT October 20, 2006 NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Prosecutors said a New Haven man's repeated molestation of several children was so extreme that he deserves a life sentence. One victim of 36-year-old Carlos Rivera was so upset over the years of abuse that he shot himself in the head, according to the prosecutors. Rivera faces a mandatory life sentence after his latest conviction in July triggered a "two strikes and you're out" law for sex crimes. He's the first person in Connecticut charged under the law, and the second in the nation. Rivera had already been convicted in 1996 of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old relative. He was convicted again in July of making and possessing child pornography, and preying on teen boys over the Internet. Prosecutors said he also kept a log of his victims, one of whom killed himself in 2004. http://www.wfsb.com/news/10123237/detail.html?rss=hart&psp=news

Oct 20, 2006 11:45 am US/Eastern 2-Time Convicted Sex Offender Faces Life In Prison (CBS/AP) NEW HAVEN, Conn A New Haven man should get a life sentence for repeatedly molesting children, including one 15-year-old boy who shot himself in the head after years of abuse, said federal prosecutors. Carlos Rivera faces a mandatory life sentence Friday after his latest conviction in July triggered a two-strikes-and-you're-out law. Rivera, 36, is the first person in Connecticut and the second in the nation charged under the two-strikes child sex crimes law. Defense attorneys can argue for a lesser sentence but, before the trial started, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Glover informed Rivera that a life sentence was required if he was convicted. Rivera, who was convicted in 1996 of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old relative, was convicted in July of making and possessing child pornography and preying on teenage boys over the Internet. "Rivera is a dangerous, repeated sexual predator, and only a sentence of life in prison will provide certainty that he will not victimize another minor again," prosecutors wrote in court papers. Authorities said Rivera sexually abused numerous minors in 2004 after he befriended them in Internet chat rooms. A jury deliberated for less than two hours after a two day trial before convicting Rivera on all counts. Rivera kept a log of his victims, listing that he had sex with one minor at least 500 times, prosecutors said. He also kept a notebook of "punishments" he intended to impose for the victims' "disobedience," threatening to kill one of them, according to court papers. In 2004, after one of the victims had killed himself, Rivera threatened to stalk and terrorize one boy. After Rivera told the boy he was in the Latin Kings gang, the boy threatened to kill himself, according to court papers. "I can buy you a gun... It's faster," Rivera told the boy in a chat room exchange cited in court papers. Paul F. Thomas, Rivera's attorney, called the mandatory life sentence "draconian" in court papers and questioned whether the earlier conviction qualified as a federal sex offense to trigger the mandatory life sentence. Prosecutors said the prior conviction requires a life sentence. Rivera's attorney acknowledged the judge would conclude a lengthy prison sentence was needed to protect the public. "The accomplishment of those objectives, however, does not require sentencing this 36-year-old defendant, with his own history of being victimized with resulting emotional problems that were never effectively addressed, to imprisonment for the remainder of his life," Thomas wrote. The two-strikes provision was incorporated into a 2003 crime bill that also encouraged states to set up Amber Alert systems to find kidnapped children and impose heightened penalties for traveling overseas for sex with minors. http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_293115925.html