Former Virginia House of Delegates candidate Susanna Gibson Payne has encountered new legal challenges following a previous sex tape scandal. Payne, 42, surrendered to authorities in Henrico County on September 22, following the issuance of a misdemeanor warrant for "assault and battery – family member." She was released shortly after her arrest.
Payne, who ran as a Democrat in the suburbs of Richmond, has stated that the charge stems from a false complaint by her estranged husband, John David Gibson, 44. She contends that the legal proceedings are an extension of harassment she has faced since filing for divorce. "After my estranged husband, arrested three times since I filed for divorce, assaulted me during a June 2025 custody exchange while I protected our son, he filed a retaliatory criminal complaint against me," Payne expressed in a statement.
The warrant for Payne's arrest was not issued until several months after the purported incident, which she highlighted in her response to the allegations. Court documents reveal that Gibson was arrested multiple times in December 2024 on charges including violating a protective order, extortion, and threatening language. Payne had sought protection from the court shortly before these arrests, citing "family abuse." A protective order was subsequently granted in January 2025.
John Gibson has not publicly addressed the recent allegations and declined to comment upon inquiries. Payne's personal and political struggles first came to light during the 2023 Virginia elections. The New York Post had reported her as a strong Democratic challenger for a delegate seat in the Richmond area. However, her campaign was disrupted when sexually explicit videos of Payne and her husband surfaced online, which were disseminated by Republican operatives. Payne denied that the recordings, which appeared on the adult streaming platform Chaturbate, were made for monetary gain and claimed ignorance of their archiving and subsequent misuse.
During the controversy, Payne asserted the distribution of the videos violated Virginia's revenge porn laws and labeled it as sexual abuse. She stated, "My political opponents and their Republican allies have proven they're willing to commit a sex crime to attack me and my family because there's no line they won't cross to silence women when they speak up."
Despite the turmoil, Payne narrowly lost the election by fewer than 1,000 votes and pivoted her focus to advocacy work. She founded MyOwn Image, an organization aimed at reforming online privacy laws and tackling gender-based violence in the digital age. Payne's perspective on the political and justice system has been indelibly shaped by her experiences. She has been vocal about her desire to see a justice system that supports survivors of abuse rather than allows for further victimization.
As Payne faces a misdemeanor domestic violence charge, the case is pending in Henrico County, with no trial date set. The events surrounding Payne, from the leaked sex tapes to her current legal battles, highlight the complexities of privacy, personal relationships, and politics in the digital era.
