Fort Hood sergeant major gets 25 years for child rape convictions

A Fort Hood sergeant major will spend 25 years in prison after a military jury convicted him of raping and sexually abusing two children, a case that showed how quickly abuse in the Coryell-area military community can cross from a family home into both civilian and military courtrooms. Victor M. Rivera, 49, also lost all pay and allowances, was reduced to E-1 and received a dishonorable discharge.

Rivera served as a telecommunications operations chief with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 11th Corps Signal Brigade, III Armored Corps. According to the Army, the abuse of the older victim began in 2019 in Harker Heights, when she was younger than 16. About a year later, Rivera began abusing a younger victim who was younger than 12. The victims told their mother, who contacted Harker Heights police in October 2020.

Once investigators learned Rivera was in the Army, Army Criminal Investigation Division joined the case. Rivera was arrested in January 2021 in the 2900 block of Stillhouse Lake Road after a joint investigation by Harker Heights police and the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force. The Army Office of Special Trial Counsel later told Bell County prosecutors in 2025 that it intended to prosecute Rivera at the same time as the military case, and county prosecutors held their case while the court-martial moved ahead.

The Army formally charged Rivera on Nov. 20, 2025, and a military jury convicted him on June 12 at the Lawrence Williams Judicial Center. Army CID later extracted evidence from Rivera’s phone showing frequent visits to websites discussing sexual abuse of minors. Prosecutors said that digital evidence, along with the victims’ testimony and the mother’s report, was central to the conviction.

The Army said Rivera will serve his confinement at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, and must register as a sex offender after release, along with meeting federal and state registration rules. For families in Harker Heights, Copperas Cove and around Fort Hood, the case is a reminder that child protection failures can unfold quietly before they surface through a complaint, a police call and years of coordinated investigation.

Army OSTC said it independently prosecutes serious crimes, including child abuse, and reports directly to the Secretary of the Army. With 28 field offices and civilian special victim liaisons, the office has become a key part of how military and local authorities handle the most serious cases tied to the Fort Hood community.