Seattle Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Child Sexual Exploitation Offenses

Tallahassee, Florida – Willard Lawrence Gibson, Jr., 48, of Seattle, Washington, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempted sexual exploitation of children, one count of attempted enticement of a minor, one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, and one count of distribution of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. 

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “This case is a reminder of the many threats our children face online from predators, like this defendant, seeking to sexually exploit and victimize them. Our state and federal law enforcement partners are relentlessly pursuing those sick individuals through undercover operations like we saw in this case, but parents also need to be aware of what online platforms their children are using and who they are communicating with to ensure kids don’t fall prey to online exploitation. My office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases and seek maximum punishments to keep these sexual predators locked behind bars and away from our kids.”

Court documents reflect that in July 2025, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, and other state and federal law enforcement agencies conducted an undercover operation focused on identifying individuals using the internet to sexually exploit children. During that operation, Gibson began communicating through a social media platform with an undercover officer and the conversation later moved to text messaging. Gibson sent the undercover officer two images of child sexual abuse material. Further, court records show that, on multiple occasions, Gibson asked the undercover officer to produce child pornography images and send them to him. When Gibson was arrested in Seattle, his cell phone was seized as evidence. After a search warrant was obtained, law enforcement discovered multiple images and videos of child sexual abuse material on Gibson’s phone. Gibson’s phone also contained other evidence confirming that he communicated with the undercover officer.

Gibson faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, up to a maximum of 30 years’ imprisonment for attempted sexual exploitation of children, a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years to a maximum of life imprisonment for attempted enticement of a minor, a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years up to a maximum of 20 years imprisonment for distribution of child pornography, and up to 10 years imprisonment for attempted transfer of obscene materials to minors. Gibson also faces a lifetime term of supervision upon release. 

Sentencing is scheduled for August 24, 2026, at 2:00 pm, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida before United States District Judge Robert L. Hinkle. 

This case was a joint investigation by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Seattle Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. 

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.