Hawkeye Reporter

A Waterloo resident, Gabriel Keith Usher, 47, has been sentenced to 168 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor into illicit sexual activities. The sentencing took place in Davenport, Iowa.

Court documents and evidence presented during sentencing showed that in October 2023, Usher began communicating online with an undercover officer who was posing as a 15-year-old. Within days of the initial contact, Usher expressed romantic feelings toward the supposed minor and suggested engaging in sexual acts. Law enforcement arrested Usher when he arrived at a location arranged for meeting the minor and seized his cell phone.

In addition to the federal sentence, Usher had previously been sentenced in October 2024 by Black Hawk County, Iowa to five years in state prison on unrelated charges involving enticing a minor under age 16 and sexual exploitation of a minor.

Upon completion of his federal prison term, Usher will serve ten years of supervised release and is required to register as part of his sentence. There is no parole available in the federal system.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa stated that the case was investigated by the Iowa City Police Department.

The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc. Resources on internet safety education are available at www.usdoj.gov/psc under the resources tab.