On May 13, 2025, a federal jury convicted Clifton H. Gibbs of Delaware on multiple counts of sex trafficking and forced labor, following a call to the National Human Trafficking Hotline by one of the women he victimized. Gibbs now faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Gibbs exploited more than a dozen women struggling with substance use disorders over six years. He manipulated them by providing housing, food, clothing, and drugs, while controlling their access to drugs and deliberately triggering withdrawal symptoms to maintain control. He also used physical violence and coercion to force these women into commercial sex and forced labor, panhandling, and theft.
In 2021, one of the women victimized by Gibbs contacted the National Human Trafficking Hotline, which immediately notified law enforcement. This crucial tip helped advance an investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which began after concerns were raised following Gibbs’ arrest for drug possession in 2016.
This case underscores the critical role the National Human Trafficking Hotline plays in connecting survivors to vital services, supporting access to justice, and identifying and disrupting trafficking operations.
###
National Human Trafficking Hotline
Call 1-888-373-7888 | Text 233733 (BEFREE) | Live Chat | TTY: 711
The National Human Trafficking Hotline connects individuals who have experienced human trafficking with critical support services that help them stay safe. People who have experienced trafficking, those who have concerns about someone they know, or those who believe they have witnessed a trafficking situation can communicate with a trained specialist for support, safety planning, crisis intervention, and urgent and non-urgent referrals.
Since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has responded to 1.5 million calls, texts, and chat messages. 90,000 of those contacts were directly from potential victims of trafficking. The Hotline has provided more than 168,000 referrals to services and reported more 32,000 tips of potential human trafficking situations to law enforcement.
Additional Resources
- Supporting Individuals at the Intersection of Human Trafficking and Substance Use (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Trafficking in Persons, 2022)
- The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Substance Use Disorders (U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2022)
- The Intersection of Human Trafficking and Addiction (PDF) (U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 2020)