North Bergen Woman Charged With Distributing Child Pornography

Tuesday, May 6, 2025, 6:50 A.M. ET. 2 Minute Read, By Art Fletcher: Englebrook Independent News,

NORTH BERGEN, NJ.- A 23-year-old North Bergen, New Jersey, woman is facing up to 20 years in federal prison after being charged on Friday with distributing digital images depicting the sexual exploitation and abuse of a prepubescent child last summer.

     According to U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, Natasha Rivas, 23, of North Bergen, New Jersey, was taken into custody on Friday, May 2, 2025, and formally charged by federal criminal complaint with one count of Distribution of Child Pornography. After being charged, Rivas appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jessica S. Allen in Federal Court in Newark, New Jersey.

     It is unclear if Judge Allen ordered Rivas to be detained or released pending future court proceedings in U.S. District Court.

According To The Charging Information

     According to the charging information filed in the criminal complaint, following an investigation into online child pornography activities, an individual was taken into custody in January 2025 and formally charged with Possession of Child Pornography. During the ongoing investigation, federal agents uncovered that the individual exchanged messages with Rivas, whereafter she distributed digital images containing child pornography.

     During the message, the individual and Rivas discussed sexually assaulting children for Rivas’s and the individual’s mutual sexual gratification. The digital images Rivas distributed involved a prepubescent child whom she was with at a hotel in Ridgefield Park, New Jersey.

     If convicted at trial, Rivas faces a mandatory minimum of five years and up to 20 years in federal prison, at least five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. Upon a finding of guilt, a U.S. District Court Judge will determine the term of imprisonment based on the seriousness of the offense and Rivas’s prior criminal history, if any.

“The rules of the federal court require us to include a statement that states: The charges outlined in this publication are merely accusations, and the defendant and or defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt.”