Man arrested in undercover sting pleads guilty to sex trafficking 15-year-old girl in KC
A traveling pimp who groomed sex workers in Kansas City and promoted them over the internet, including a 15-year-old girl, has pleaded guilty to a felony in federal court.
Gerald H. Paul-Gibson, 32, admitted Wednesday to a single count of sex trafficking a child in the Western District of Missouri. The case stems from an undercover sting operation conducted by Kansas City police in April 2019.
According to court records, an undercover police officer arranged a meeting with the 15-year-old girl at Northland hotel after finding her advertisement for commercial sex on a website. She came to the officer’s room and agreed to have sex for $150.
The officer then signaled for the arrest team to enter the room. Once the girl was arrested, they realized she was a minor — a fact she proved by providing her high school email address.
Investigators learned that the girl had traveled to Kansas City from Milwaukee after she met Paul-Gibson there a little more than a week earlier. When they arrived in Kansas City, Paul-Gibson introduced the victim to another teenager and took pictures of them for online ads, court records state.
Paul-Gibson then rented a Motel 6 in Blue Springs for the victim and directed clients to her when they contacted him. The girl told investigators she had gone with Paul-Gibson to meet clients on other occasions, but those clients never showed up.
During her interview, the girl said Paul-Gibson had dropped her off at the Northland hotel and was waiting for her to complete the exchange. Law enforcement officers found him parked nearby after she described the “old, ratty” car he drove.
Outside the hotel, Paul-Gibson admitted knowing the girl was there for sex work and said he expected to make $20 or $30 plus gas money for taking her there, according to court records. He also told investigators he intended to bring her to Phoenix after they were done with Kansas City.
When asked if they were going to do more prostitution there, he allegedly replied: “Maybe, maybe not.”
After he was arrested, police found two cellphones inside Paul-Gibson’s car that belonged to him. On the phones were text messages that confirmed he recruited females for sex work, negotiated deals with clients and arranged for accommodations in hotels, according to court records. He occasionally referred to himself as a “pimp” during those conversations, court records state.
Also discovered during an examination of his phone was a profile page for Paul-Gibson. On the page, which included his picture, was the message: “LIKE a pimp. But far from any you’ve ever met. Money motivated. Goal Oriented. Violence forbidden.”
Under sentencing guidelines, Paul-Gibson faces a maximum term of life and not less than 10 years in federal prison.
