ST. LOUIS — A Jefferson County man on Thursday pleaded guilty in a St. Louis courtroom to a felony count of producing child sexual abuse material.
Kyle J. Gipson, 22, admitted to recording the sexual abuse of a 2-year-old girl, a written release from the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of Missouri said.
In March, an undercover FBI agent infiltrated an online group dedicated to sharing original images of the sexual abuse of children on Wickr, an end-to-end encrypted instant messaging app. Gipson and the agent began messaging on Wickr before switching to Telegram, another instant messaging app.
Gipson sent a picture of a 2-year-old girl to the agent, telling the agent he had sexually abused the child, the release said.
He also sent a nude picture of the victim to the agent, offering them access to sexually abuse the 2-year-old, the release said.
Investigators, with permission from a court, searched Gipson's home on March 13. They found child sexual abuse materials involving the same child and other toddlers.
Investigators also found communications where Gipson discussed sexual abuse of the 2-year-old with six other people on social media.
"Gipson was also monitor and gatekeeper for a social media group focused on child sexual abuse material, bestiality and rape," the release said.
Gipson faces 15-30 years in prison for the charge of producing child sexual abuse material. The U.S. Attorney's Office plans to ask for the maximum penalty at Gipson's sentencing on March 6, 2024.
The case was investigated by the FBI and the St. Louis County Police Department's Special Investigation Unit.
The National Sexual Abuse Hotline is 1.800.656.4673. A live chat option is available at RAINN.org. RAINN is an acronym for the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)
