Sean Gardner, a former youth gymnastics coach, was sentenced to 90 years in prison after being convicted of secretly recording young female students while they undressed and used the bathroom at a gym in Mississippi. This sentence represents the maximum punishment available from U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson.
Gardner received 30 years for each of the three federal charges related to child pornography that he pleaded guilty to.
The 39-year-old was taken into custody by the FBI last summer, which caught the attention of the Associated Press. His case has sent shockwaves throughout the gymnastics community, especially given the past scrutiny faced by U.S. gymnastics after previous incidents of sexual abuse involving athletes.
One of the most infamous cases is that of Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually assaulting over 260 female athletes over a span of 22 years, which included many who competed at the Olympic level.
In Gardner’s situation, he admitted to placing a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics facility in Purvis, Mississippi, between late 2017 and early 2018, to record his students. An investigation later revealed he had captured close-up footage of at least ten minors in various states of undress. These videos were discovered on his computers several years later during inquiries into allegations of his sexual misconduct involving gymnasts in Iowa.
Former students from Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, said Gardner exploited his position to target them, and several filed police reports and civil lawsuits against him.
Gardner was not just a coach—he played a significant role in training top young gymnasts at an institute founded by Liang “Chow” Qiao, another well-known figure in the gymnastics world.
Though he has not been charged regarding the Iowa allegations, authorities indicated they would wait until the federal case concludes before deciding on further action.
Some women involved in the federal case pointed out that USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport had been informed of Gardner’s behavior back in 2017, claiming that these organizations failed to act in a timely manner to protect the athletes.
In 2022, after one gymnast accused Gardner of sexual abuse, he was suspended and subsequently fired by Chow.
SafeSport conducted its own investigation then, concluding that Chow and his fellow coaches had been informed about the misconduct complaints against Gardner, yet they did not report these allegations as required by policy.
Lawsuits are still pending against Gardner, USA Gymnastics, and Chow’s Gymnastics.
