Hempstead Man Gets 25 Years For Sexual Exploitation Of A Child

HEMPSTEAD, NY — A Hempstead man was sentenced to 25 years in prison today for distributing child pornography, as well as abusing a young girl who was in his care.

Manuel Geovanny Torres Rivas, 27, will also have to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison, and will not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with children. He pleaded guilty to the charges in January.

“Today’s sentence removes a dangerous predator and is only possible due to the bravery of two young girls, who came forward to the authorities about the defendant’s disturbing behavior online, which then helped protect the community and end the abuse of another girl,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace. “I urge parents and caregivers to encourage their children to tell a trusted adult if anyone asks them to engage in inappropriate behavior.”

According to prosecutors, Torres Rivas targeted multiple girls on Snapchat, where he would send them unsolicited pictures and videos of child pornography, and engage them in sexually explicit conversations.

In September 2019, Torres Rivas contacted a 13-year-old girl living in Connecticut. He was a stranger to the girl, but described sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl and sent her videos of child pornography.

In June 2020, Torres Rivas uploaded more than two dozen videos and pictures of child pornography to Snapchat, some of which showed the abuse of children younger than 5.

He also reached out to an 11-year-old girl in Nevada and told her about his abuse of a 9-year-old girl, and sent her explicit photos of himself.

Torres Rivas's actions came to light after the 13-year-old from Connecticut reported his contact to her school officials, who then called police. The 11-year-old from Nevada also reported the contact to police.

Snapchat reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that approximately 28 videos and images containing child pornography had been uploaded to the platform using Torres Rivas's account.

Officials traced the Snapchat accounts to Torres Rivas's address in Hempstead. A search of the home found that he had recorded himself sexually abusing a 9-year-old girl who had been entrusted to his care.