A Fayetteville man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison without parole after he pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking of a 16-year-old runaway last year, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elser said Thursday.
Gregory Lynnell Gibson, 23, rented two rooms at a hotel in Springdale in January 2014, where Springdale police officers met with the teenager, Elser said in a news release.
The 16-year-old girl confirmed to police that she was working for Gibson as a prostitute, after reconnecting with him through Facebook and being persuaded to quit school for prostitution.
According to Elser, the girl, who initially was told she would receive half of the profit, instead gave all of her money to Gibson.
Over the course of the investigation, text messages related to prostitution were found that dated back to November 2013, including conversations regarding prices, time limits and specific sex acts, according to the news release.
Elser said Gibson was also sentenced before U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks in Fayetteville to 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a fine of $4,900.
The case was investigated by the Springdale Police Department, Fort Smith Police Department and FBI.