A Ledyard resident, Jason Gibson, 45, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in federal court on January 8, 2026. Gibson waived his right to be indicted and entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Omar A. Williams in Hartford, according to David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Court records show that Gibson was previously convicted in state court for possession of child pornography in February 2020 and sentenced to a decade in prison, with all but 30 months suspended, followed by 10 years of probation. He was released from state custody in January 2021 but had his probation revoked in April 2023 after violating release conditions. This resulted in a new sentence of 90 months’ incarceration, suspended after six months served, and an additional probation term.
State probation officers conducted a routine visit at Gibson’s home on March 6, 2024, during which they seized an unapproved cellphone containing a dark web application. Analysis found more than 200 images and videos depicting child sexual abuse and text messages with links to similar material hosted on the dark web. Another search on April 2, 2025 led officers to confiscate an external hard drive holding over 18,000 images and approximately 1,400 videos involving child sex abuse content. Gibson has been detained since this second search.
Gibson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years and up to twenty years in prison due to enhanced penalties related to prior convictions. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the New Haven Police Department, as well as police departments from Groton, Watertown, Westport and the Connecticut Court Support Services Division – Adult Probation Services.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel P. Gordon is prosecuting the case through the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative—an effort aimed at preventing child sexual exploitation and abuse. Additional information about this initiative can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Reports regarding suspected child exploitation can be submitted via www.cybertipline.com.
