Nathaniel R. Gibson, 34, of Leasburg, entered into a plea agreement, filed on Jan. 14 by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson, to plead guilty to count one, traveling over state lines to engage in sexual contact with a minor, and count three, enticing and coercing a minor to travel over state lines to engage in sexual activity, of the Superseding Indictment. 

According to a press release from the U.S Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri, Gibson will be sentenced on April 15 by District Judge Henry Autrey.

Originally, Gibson was being held on two alleged counts, but on Feb. 26, 2025, a superseding indictment was filed, adding two more counts.

In the plea agreement, Gibson agreed to plead guilty to knowingly traveling in interstate commerce from Missouri to Arkansas, to engage in sexual conduct with a minor under 14 years of age, and to knowingly persuading, inducing, enticing and coercing the minor to travel over state lines to engage in sexual activity, “including hand to genital, groin and breast contact, either directly or through the clothing.”

In exchange, the court dismisses count two, which alleged that Gibson transported the minor over state lines, from Missouri to Arkansas, to engage in sexual activity; and count four, that alleged “any facility and means of interstate commerce, to include internet and cellular-based communications” to knowingly attempt to “persuade, induce, entice and coerce” the victim to engage in sexual activity.

Parties involved in the case agreed that the facts stated in the plea agreement would be proven “beyond a reasonable doubt if the case were to go to trial.”

In June 2023, Gibson drove himself and the minor, 13 years old at the time, across state lines for a vacation at the Lead City Campground in the Diamond City, Ark., area. While in Arkansas, he “used his hand to touch the genitals of the juvenile victim on two occasions.”

During the summer of 2023, he touched her sexually, while also having the minor place her hand on his genitals at his residence in Crawford County. 

Additionally, between March 10, 2023, and September 6, 2023, he and the juvenile victim exchanged over 18,996 texts with a cellular phone, which was paid for by Gibson. These texts engaged in grooming the victim with romantic and flirtatious statements to her and about her.

“The defendant, extremely frequently, requested photos of the juvenile victim, even telling her he needed a ‘daily (name of juvenile victim omitted) fix’ and asking her to put on a swimsuit and send him a picture of her in it,” the plea agreement read.

To prevent the victim’s mother from finding the messages, he instructed her to delete them. He made many positive comments on her physical appearance.

“The defendant told the juvenile victim he could not wait to see her with pink emoji lips, and then stated that he would need to ‘hold himself back’ when he saw her,” the plea agreement read. “(He) discussed wanting to adopt the juvenile victim and encouraging her to try to make that happen.”

Statutory penalties for count one include imprisonment of no more than 30 years, a fine that doesn’t exceed $250,000, or both. The court may also impose a supervised release term of at least five years to life. The maximum penalties of count three include imprisonment of 25 years or less, a fine that doesn’t exceed $250,000 or both. The court can also impose a period of supervised release of no less than five years to life.