HSI, joint law enforcement partner probe leads to sentencing of Springfield man, woman for child sex trafficking

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A Springfield man and woman were sentenced in federal court today for the sex trafficking of a child following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), joint law enforcement partner probe. Joseph W. Gibson, 43, and Danna Marie Rodriguez, 37, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Brian C. Wimes.

Gibson was sentenced to 30 in federal prison without parole, followed by 25 years of supervised release. Rodriguez was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison without parole, followed by 25 years of supervised release.

Gibson and Rodriguez each pleaded guilty to one count of the sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of the sex trafficking of a minor.

Both admitted they sex trafficked a 15-year-old female, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe 1.” They also asked the child victim to recruit some of her friends to participate, but her friends refused to be involved.

Rodriguez took sexually explicit photos of Jane Doe 1, which she sent to Gibson. Gibson and Rodriguez gave ecstasy and marijuana to the child victim prior to her meeting an unidentified man for sex at a local hotel, for which the child victim was paid $70. Gibson and Rodriguez kept the rest of the payment.

This case was investigated by HSI, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Springfield, Mo., Police Department, and the Greene County Sheriff’s Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller.

Learn more about HSI’s mission to combat child exploitation in your community on Twitter, @HSIKansasCity.

Homeland Security Investigations

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 86 overseas locations in 55 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.