OCALA, Fla. – A Florida man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity, then riding his bicycle to meet that minor with a blanket and a condom to the pre-determined location following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando.
Devin Joseph Rivera, 24, of Ocala, plead guilty on Sept. 20, 2024, to the charges.
“Predators who seek to exploit innocent children, online or in person, will be held accountable for their heinous actions,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “HSI, alongside our law enforcement partners, is committed to using every tool at our disposal to identify, arrest, and prosecute those who prey on the innocence of children.”
According to court documents, on July 24, 2024, Rivera communicated online with someone whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl. The child, however, was an undercover HSI special agent. Rivera engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with the undercover agent. Ultimately, Rivera was arrested when he rode his bicycle to a pre-determined meeting location in Marion County to engage in sexual activity with the “child.”
This case was investigated by HSI Orlando, the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, the Ocala Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Chiefland Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
HSI Tampa area of responsibility, which includes ten geographically strategic offices, covers more than 51,600 square miles of the total 65,757 square miles in the state of Florida. This region has more than 14.2 million people and includes 58 of the 67 counties. HSI Tampa also includes five of the ten largest cities in Florida, 15 primary commercial service airports, and 11 seaports.
To report any information about human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or the trafficking in child sexual abuse material contact the HSI Tip Line at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP; or report it through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.
Learn more about HSI Tampa’s mission to increase public safety in Florida communities on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSITampa.