The world of gymnastics is being rocked once again following the arrest of Sean Gardner.
Gardner was arrested on child pornography charges last week, according to reports. The US gymnastics world was only just recovering from a devastating sexual abuse scandal involving Larry Nassar.
Nassar, the disgraced former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor, was convicted of sexually abusing numerous underage female gymnasts. He has been in prison since 2017 after pleading guilty to sexually abusing underage girls while serving as the team doctor at USA Gymnastics and for the Michigan State gymnastics team. More than 250 women came forward to accuse Nassar of sexually abusing them, including Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, Gabby Douglas, Jordyn Wieber, and Madison Kocian. Many of them even testified against him.
Gardner, who has coached at both Chow’s Gymnastics & Dance in West Des Moines and at Jump’In Gymnastics & Tumbling in Mississippi, was charged with producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct after police found multiple hidden-camera videos of girls changing and using the bathroom at the Mississippi gym, according to ESPN.
Authorities raided Sean Gardner’s home and discovered hundreds of child pornography images, as well as batches of nude images showing girls as young as six years old.
SafeSport, the organization launched to oversee sexual assault prevention in US Gymnastics in the wake of the Larry Nassar case, suspended Gardner from coaching gymnastics in 2022.
This suspension came three months after an athlete alleged he sexually assaulted her while he was her coach.
Don’t be surprised if Sean Gardner meets the same fate as Larry Nassar, who was stabbed while in prison.
The FBI arrested Gardner on a federal child pornography charge. Investigators said sexual abuse claims against Gardner were first reported several years ago.
The FBI believes there could be more victims.
According to ESPN, Gardner is being held in Iowa pending proceedings in the Southern District of Mississippi.
Police interviewed one of the girls, a 16-year-old, nearly two years after SafeSport forwarded their information to West Des Moines police in May 2022.
The 16-year-old informed police that she believed Sean Gardner filmed her performing stretches he instructed her to do that exposed parts of her body.
She also added that Gardner would put his hands and fingers on her vagina while spotting her.
Those who may have been victimized by Gardner or may have information relevant to this investigation are urged to go to fbi.gov/seangardnervictims.
The child pornography production charge Gardner faces carries a potential 30-year prison sentence, according to the AP.
