A Waterloo resident, Gabriel Keith Usher, 47, has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activities. The sentencing follows an investigation where Usher communicated online with an undercover officer who was posing as a 15-year-old minor. According to court documents and evidence presented during sentencing, Usher expressed romantic interest and proposed sexual acts within days of initiating contact. Law enforcement apprehended Usher when he arrived at a prearranged meeting location and seized his cell phone.
Prior to this federal sentence, Usher was convicted in Black Hawk County, Iowa, on unrelated state charges involving enticing a minor under the age of 16 and sexual exploitation of a minor. In October 2024, he received a five-year state prison sentence for those offenses.
After serving his federal prison term, Usher will be subject to ten years of supervised release and is required to register as part of his sentence. There is no parole available in the federal system.
United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal for the Southern District of Iowa announced the sentence. The Iowa City Police Department conducted the investigation.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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