Man sentenced in Jefferson County for human trafficking

Roman Bear Rivera will serve 12 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for trafficking for sexual servitude.

Arrested and charged in a nationwide sex trafficking sting known as Operation Cross Country, Rivera, 39, was sentenced Monday in Jefferson County. He also received 12 years in a separate case, to be served concurrently, for retaliation against the victim in this case, according to a news release from the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office.

More than 40 state and local agencies partnered with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in support of Operations Cross Country, which sought to locate sex trafficking victims, as well as investigate individuals for allegedly perpetrating the crimes.

Rivera’s activity came to light after investigators from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO), the Lakewood Police Department (LPD), and other agencies connected him with an adult female victim and an ad for sex in exchange for money.

At sentencing, Det. Lucero of the Lakewood Police Department (no first name provided) told the judge: “Mr. Rivera recruited, manipulated, and intimidated people into sexual servitude for his selfish gains, and his destructive reach was quite far within our community.”

Lucero told the court that some of Rivera’s recruiting tactics were revealed during the course of the investigation, according to the district attorney's office.

“As a seasoned agent, I’ve been involved in many cases,” Lucero said. “ And the inhumane, callus nature of this case and Mr. Rivera’s predatory conduct will stay with me for a long time.”

Deputy District Attorney Sarah Beth Toben argued for the maximum sentence, arguing that when Rivera bonded out on his earlier charge in October of 2023, he located the victim at a motel and assaulted her, punching her in the face multiple times.