Douglas Gibson, a 40-year-old resident of Lebanon, Indiana, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison and will face a lifetime of supervised release. The sentencing follows his guilty plea to charges of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor and Committing a Felony Offense while Required to Register as a Sex Offender.
Court documents show that between 2018 and 2021, Gibson gained access to a minor born in 2011. During this period, he installed hidden cameras in the child’s bedroom and bathroom shower drain to secretly record her while she was showering and changing clothes. He saved images and videos depicting the child in various stages of nudity on his laptop. Investigators also found that Gibson possessed and distributed images and videos of other unidentified prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct using private chat rooms on social media platforms.
Gibson had previously been convicted of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor (Intercourse) in Boone County in 2010, which required him to register as a sex offender from at least September 2011 through September 2021.
“Simply put, Douglas Gibson is a danger to children,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “A child’s home should be a sanctuary of safety and love. Instead, this sick abuser took advantage of a child’s vulnerability to sexually exploit them and invade their safety and dignity. The sentence imposed here will ensure that our children are protected from this defendant for decades to come.”
“The exploitation of children is one of the most serious crimes we investigate. This sentence makes clear there are severe consequences for those who attempt to harm or exploit children,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly with our partners to protect the most vulnerable members of our communities.”
"The investigation symbolizes how collaborative efforts of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force alongside its local, state and federal partners create a powerful force that is more effective in protecting vulnerable populations than any single entity could be on its own,” said a spokesperson with Indiana ICAC.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Indiana ICAC Task Force—which brings together federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies led by the Indiana State Police—and Boone County C.A.S.E. Task Force. U.S. District Judge James P. Hanlon imposed the sentence.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany Preston for prosecuting the case.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at fighting child sexual exploitation online by bringing together resources from multiple levels of government [https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood]. Victims seeking support can find resources at this website or contact their local police department.
Each year, investigators with Indiana’s ICAC Task Force review thousands of tips related to technology-facilitated sexual exploitation cases involving children; they investigate hundreds each year and have rescued dozens from ongoing abuse.
