Who is Wanetta Gibson and what happened to her? Here is the full story
False accusations can ruin lives. Even when the truth finally comes out, both parties are left in a messy aftermath, and life is no longer the same. This has been the case for Wanetta Gibson, who falsely accused Brian Banks of sexual assault.
Source: UGC
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At 15 years old, Wanetta Gibson accused her former schoolmate Brian Banks, a former American football player. Brian was arrested, spent close to six years imprisoned and five years on parole. He was, however, released after the truth came out.
Wanetta Gibson's profile summary
| Full name | Wanetta Gibson |
| Gender | Female |
| Year of birth | 1987 |
| Country of birth | United States of America |
| Age | 37 years (as of 2024) |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African-American |
| Hair colour | Black |
| Eye colour | Black |
| Famous as | Brian Banks' accuser |
Wanetta Gibson's biography
Wanetta Gibson was born in 1987 in the United States of America. As of 2024, she is 37 years old. Not much about her is known, such as her parents or whether she has siblings.
Sexual assault accusation
In 2002, when she was 15, Gibson accused Brian Banks of dragging her into a stairway and assaulting her. Banks, who was 16, was arrested and placed in Juvenile Hall, and he was also immediately expelled from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. Brian Banks and Wanetta Gibson went to the same school and met in the summer of 2002.
According to Shawn Ashley, a co-principal at Long Beach Poly High, Banks would not be permitted to return to campus no matter how the legal situation played out.
In order to avoid obtaining a sentence that might have varied from 41 years to life, Brian consented to a plea agreement that included five years in jail, five years of probation, and registration as a sex offender.
Banks believed that his lawyer told him that by submitting a plea of not guilty, he would receive probation but not jail time. During an interview with Innocence Project, Brian said his lawyer told him that he would get probation. He noted:
Brian, I guarantee you will get that probation. You're going to talk to the counselors... they're going to side with you. You will get that favorable report. But if you walk in there right now and start selecting a jury, I can guarantee you that you're going to end up selecting a jury that's going to be an all-white jury and they're going to find you guilty because you're a big Black teenager
Gibson and her mother, Wanda Rhodes, sued the Long Beach Unified School District, alleging that the Poly campus lacked security and won a $1.5 million compensation.
Source: Original
Did Wanetta Gibson confess?
In March 2011, Wanetta Gibson contacted Banks via Facebook, requested a meeting, and confessed to fabricating her story in the presence of a private detective hired by Banks. Banks discreetly recorded Gibson’s admission. The report stated:
Gibson met with Banks and a private investigator and recanted her preliminary hearing testimony that Banks raped her. She said that the two had been "making out pretty heavy" but that they did not have intercourse or "anything like that.
Gibson said that they were just playing around, being curious about sexuality and that the adults got involved and blew it all out of proportion. She said the adults 'put stuff in [her] head.
However, she subsequently retracted her confession, claiming she had lied to evade returning the money she and her family had won in court by admitting to deceiving the authorities.
What happened to Wanetta Gibson?
Before the confession was recorded, Banks sought help from the California Innocence Project (CIP). This non-profit legal clinic, supported by the California Western School of Law in San Diego, investigates and prosecutes cases of true innocence.
However, there was not enough evidence to support Banks' innocence at the time for them to take the case. After the confession, CIP decided to make it the organization's first case involving a wrongfully convicted person who had already been released from prison.
The video footage was not permitted to be presented in court because it had been taken without Gibson's knowledge or consent and was not followed by a formal confession from her. The district attorney asked the judge to vacate the conviction on May 24, 2012, after CIP assisted in gathering new evidence to support Banks' account.
Banks was able to restart his sporting career after having his sex offender record sealed. Banks participated in the 2013 Innocence March to support CIP in its efforts on behalf of unfairly convicted people.
Did Wanetta Gibson go to jail?
Details about where Wanetta Gibson is now are unknown. Wanetta Gibson, as of 2024, has not been arrested and is currently nowhere to be found.
However, people believe Wanetta Gibson's punishment should be equal to, if not more, than what Brin received. Her Facebook page was suspended.
Who is Brian Banks?
Born on July 24, 1985, Brian Keith Banks is a retired American football player. He signed with the National Football League's (NFL) Atlanta Falcons on April 3, 2013. In 2012, Banks joined the United Football League's Las Vegas Locomotives as an undrafted free agent.
The Long Beach, California, native played on the same teams as DeSean Jackson, Darnell Bing, Winston Justice, and Marcedes Lewis at Long Beach Polytechnic High School. He was listed as one of the classes of 2003's "Juniors to Watch" on Rivals.com.
Source: Twitter
What movie is related to Brian Banks' story?
The movie Brian Banks, released in 2018, is a biographical drama that follows the real-life story of Banks, a promising high school football star falsely accused of a crime.
The film focuses on his wrongful conviction, time in prison, and journey to clear his name with the help of the California Innocence Project. It stars Aldis Hodge as Brian Banks, Greg Kinnear as Justin Brooks, Melanie Liburd as Karina Cooper, and Xosha Roquemore as Kennisha Rice.
Did Brian Banks marry Karina Cooper?
Brian Banks and Karina Cooper did not marry in real life. American actor Aldis Hodge portrays Banks in the 2018 film, while Melanie Liburd plays Karina Cooper. Some have speculated that Karina Cooper might represent Banks' ex-wife, Emanuela Marinova, whom he married in 2015, three years after his exoneration.
What is Brian Banks doing now?
After his exoneration and the release of the 2018 film about his life, Brian Banks has been active as a public speaker, advocate for criminal justice reform, and motivational figure. He works to raise awareness about wrongful convictions, the flaws in the justice system, and the importance of second chances.
He has collaborated with organizations like the California Innocence Project, the group that helped free him, and he speaks at various events and platforms to share his story and advocate for reform. Banks has also taken on roles in the sports world, including working for the NFL in operations and player engagement. Brian Banks told ABC News Radio:
I'm just thankful to be free now and have the opportunity like anybody else to thrive in life. I'm completely overwhelmed with so many emotions and feelings all at once.
Bank's attorneys wrote in court documents:
Tragically, Banks would never realize his dream of going to college and playing college football. A high-school acquaintance—Wanetta Gibson—shattered that dream one fateful day after she accused Banks of rape and kidnapping following a consensual sexual encounter.
Despite what he has been through, Banks has said that he holds no ill will towards his accuser. Banks told the Daily News in 2015:
When you put yourself in position where you have to make a decision whether you forgive somebody or you don’t, that means you are still dealing with it. I’m not dealing with it anymore. The past is the past. It already happened. Tomorrow is a mystery.
Wanetta Gibson has remained out of the spotlight since her false accusations came to light. She is still out at large, and Brian's, although he is now a free man, will never be the same.
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Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Briefly.co.za, where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Adrianna finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com
