Columbus inmate sentenced to more than 19 years in prison on child exploitation crimes

An inmate at a Columbus prison has been sentenced in Florida to an additional 19 and a half years in federal prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

The DOJ said Robert Francis Gilbert, 59, was an inmate at Rutledge State Prison in Columbus in the summer of 2023. Gilbert was serving a life sentence for rape and was eligible for parole, according to the DOJ.

That summer, the DOJ said, Gilbert began communicating online with someone he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

“Gilbert used threats to solicit the creation of pornographic videos and arrange a sexual encounter once Gilbert got out of state prison,” the DOJ release says.

The state prison warden was alerted by law enforcement about Gilbert’s acts, the DOJ said. An investigation found Gilbert had a cell phone with evidence of the crimes, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said Gilbert pleaded guilty Aug. 23, 2023, before U.S. District Judge Robin Rosenberg in the Southern District of Florida, to attempted enticement of a minor and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations office in Fort Pierce, Florida, and the Martin County (Florida) Sheriff’s Office, according to the DOJ.

The DOJ said the case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

This story was originally published February 25, 2025 at 5:00 AM.