A senior non-commissioned officer stationed at Fort Hood has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after a military jury convicted him of raping and sexually abusing two children, concluding one of the most serious criminal cases prosecuted by the Army in recent years.
Sgt. Maj. Victor M. Rivera, 49, a telecommunications operations chief assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Corps Signal Brigade, III Armored Corps, was sentenced June 12 by a military judge following his conviction at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center at Fort Hood, according to the Army.
The sentence represents one of the most significant punishments imposed in a recent Army child sexual abuse case. It includes 25 years of confinement, total forfeiture of pay and allowances, reduction to the rank of E-1, and a dishonorable discharge from the Army. He will serve his confinement at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., according to the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
The case centered on the sexual abuse of two children over a period of years while Rivera lived in Harker Heights, a community adjacent to Fort Hood.
Army prosecutors said Rivera began abusing one victim in 2019 when she was younger than 16. About a year later, he began abusing a second child who was younger than 12. The abuse continued until the victims disclosed what had happened to their mother, who reported the allegations to the Harker Heights Police Department in October 2020.
The investigation ultimately involved local law enforcement, Army Criminal Investigation Division agents, and military prosecutors. Investigators recovered forensic evidence from Rivera’s phone showing repeated visits to websites discussing the sexual abuse of minors, according to court records summarized by the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel.
Punishment Ends Army Career
Military convictions of this nature carry consequences beyond imprisonment, including the loss of military retirement benefits and veterans benefits associated with honorable service.
The case also highlights the expanding role of the Army Office of Special Trial Counsel, a new independent military prosecution office created in response to years of criticism regarding how the armed forces handled serious criminal offenses.
The office, which became fully operational in late 2023, removed prosecutorial authority over many serious crimes from traditional military chains of command and placed those decisions in the hands of independent military prosecutors.
Rivera’s prosecution was handled by that office rather than by commanders within his chain of command.
Although Fort Hood has drawn national attention in recent years for a variety of criminal investigations and command climate concerns, Rivera’s offenses occurred primarily in a civilian community near the installation and involved child victims rather than fellow service members. The successful prosecution nevertheless underscores the broad jurisdiction of the military justice system over active-duty personnel accused of serious crimes, including offenses committed off post.
Rivera’s sentence does not automatically mark the end of the legal process. Military convictions automatically undergo appellate review through the military justice system. Unless modified on appeal, the former sergeant major faces decades of confinement and a permanent separation from the Army.
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