Betrayal of the Badge: The Disturbing Charges Against an SDPD Officer

 

By Brett Fletcher

​I wanted to take a moment to talk about a deeply disturbing story that recently broke in our local news. It's not an easy topic to discuss, but it's one we absolutely cannot ignore.

​On Friday, a federal grand jury indictment was unsealed, and the details are stomach-turning. Brandon McGibbon, a 33-year-old San Diego police officer, has been charged with five counts of child sexual abuse offenses. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, these charges involve three minor victims and took place between late October and early November of 2025.

​The specifics of the charges are heavy. Authorities state that McGibbon was involved in the attempted receipt and production of child pornography, as well as attempting to entice and coerce minors into sexual conduct.

​When we hear about crimes against children, it’s always heartbreaking. But there is a distinct, profound layer of betrayal when the accused is someone who took an oath to protect and serve the community. Officers are the very people we teach our children to run to when they are in danger. To see that trust allegedly weaponized is incredibly hard to process.

​If there is any silver lining to this awful news, it’s that the system appears to have moved swiftly to remove him from the streets. The SDPD suspended McGibbon and stripped him of his police powers, fully cooperating with the FBI, the U.S. Attorney's Office Special Victims Unit, and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office to lead the investigation. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

​Stories like this are a grim reminder that predators don't fit a specific profile, and they can hide behind positions of authority and trust. It’s a wake-up call for all of us to remain vigilant, to listen to our children, and to educate ourselves on how to keep them safe both in the real world and online.

​If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to learn more about how to protect the children in your life, please take a look at the resources I’ve linked below. Let's look out for one another.

​Child Safety Resources & Links:

• ​CyberTipline (National Center for Missing & Exploited Children): The nation's centralized reporting system for the online exploitation of children.
  • ​report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
• ​Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: Offers crisis intervention, information, and referrals to thousands of emergency, social service, and support resources.
  • ​childhelphotline.org or call/text 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)
• ​Stop It Now!: Provides support and information to help adults prevent child sexual abuse before a child is harmed.
  • ​stopitnow.org
• ​Thorn: An organization that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse and provides resources for parents to help kids navigate the internet safely.
• ​thorn.org / Parents resource: parents.thorn.org

The FBI - Surrogacy Scam - San Diego, California:

Surrogacy Scam
Played on Emotions of Vulnerable Victims

09/13/11
 
It’s a shocking tale.
Three women recently pled guilty in San Diego, admitting to taking part in a scheme to illegally create an inventory of babies to sell to unwitting would-be parents for fees of between $100,000 and $150,000 each.


The three took advantage of couples who desperately wanted children, offering them seemingly legitimate surrogacy situations. They also took advantage of women recruited as “gestational carriers” to carry pregnancies to term after having embryos transferred to their uteruses.
The defendants in this case included two lawyers who specialized in reproductive law: Theresa Erickson, a well-known California attorney, and Hilary Neiman, who operated an adoption/surrogacy agency in Maryland. The third conspirator was Carla Chambers of Nevada, who served as the “surrogacy facilitator.” Together, they circumvented surrogacy regulations that say contracts between surrogates and intended parents must be executed before a pregnancy occurs…and lied to surrogates, intended parents, and the California family court.

Tips to Avoid Surrogacy Schemes - Do your due diligence to find out the average costs of surrogacy services (there should be no “facilitator” fees). - Make sure you have a signed agreement in place before the start of any medical tests or procedures.  - Be leery if you’re offered a last-minute surrogacy arrangement and are told the original intended parents changed their minds (that rarely happens).  - If at all possible, work with a local attorney or agency that you can meet with in person.    - Ask lots of questions…about the process, about financial arrangements, about the surrogates or biological parents…until you’re completely satisfied.   - If you still don’t feel quite right about it, find another attorney or agency that you are comfortable with.

Here’s how the scam worked:
Chambers admitted visiting adoption/surrogacy-themed online chat rooms and forums in search of surrogates and parents. Erickson and Neiman also used their own sterling reputations to legitimize the scheme.  
Surrogates were made to travel to Ukraine in Eastern Europe to become implanted with embryos derived from anonymous donors—Chambers usually made all the arrangements—with the promise that they would be compensated by the intended parents. The women were led to believe that they were participating in legal surrogacy arrangements and that there was a waiting list of potential parents for the babies. They also had to agree to give birth in California.

They were promised quick matches with intended parents, but the co-conspirators usually waited until the second or even third trimester of the pregnancies before seeking parents. Neiman and Erickson then drafted contracts between the surrogates and intended parents, well after the time frame required by law.
The hopeful couples were told the unborn babies were the result of legitimate surrogacy arrangements, but the original intended parents had backed out. They were offered the opportunity to “assume” the non-existent surrogacy agreement. The parents would hand over between $100,000 and $150,000 to the defendants, but less than half of that went to the surrogate—Erickson, Neiman, and Chambers pocketed the rest.

The defendants typically used the Internet to recruit, solicit, and communicate with surrogates and intended parents. Most of the surrogates and parents lived outside of California. 

One of the most critical aspects of the scheme involved Erickson filing fraudulent documents in California court stating that a surrogacy agreement had been in place from the start and asking for what’s called a “pre-birth judgment” that would establish parental rights. That way, under California law, the names of the intended parents could be placed on the birth certificate when the baby was born.  

The scam was uncovered when one of the surrogates, nearly seven months pregnant, was worried that parents hadn’t been found for the baby she was carrying. She contacted a lawyer, who then contacted the FBI’s San Diego office.
Resources:
- Press release

‘San Diego’s Most Wanted’ Show Celebrates First Anniversary, 57 Captures:

Brett Fletcher

‘San Diego’s Most Wanted’ Show Celebrates First Anniversary, 57 Captures:
Drawn from FBI investigations and local police departments—feature fugitives, thieves, and violent criminals who have active warrants for their arrest. Missing children are also publicized, which explains the recent on-location filming at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in Washington, D.C.
http://tiny.cc/etzja

‘San Diego’s Most Wanted’

www.fbi.gov

San Diego TV show featuring fugitives and missing kids marks first anniversary, 57 captures.