Gymnastics coach sentenced to 90 years for recording students

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 01:39 · Archive

Sean Gardner, 39, was sentenced to 90 years in prison for secretly recording young female gymnasts undressing at a Mississippi gym.

Sean Gardner, 39, was sentenced to 90 years in prison on Wednesday after pleading guilty to three federal child pornography production charges. U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson imposed the maximum possible sentence, ordering 30 years for each charge. The sentence likely amounts to life imprisonment for Gardner.

Gardner placed a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi, between December 2017 and April 2018 to record his students. Investigators recovered videos containing close-up images of at least 10 minors naked or undressing from his computers years later. The FBI seized approximately 50 videos and 400 photos from his residence as evidence.

Gardner was arrested by the FBI last summer and coached at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, founded by prominent coach Liang 'Chow' Qiao, known for producing Olympic champions. Several of his former students at the Iowa institute have alleged in police reports and civil lawsuits that he used his position to prey on them. Gardner has not been charged in connection with the Iowa allegations, and police said they would determine how to proceed after the federal case concluded. His arrest raised questions about whether gymnastics authorities had done enough to protect athletes from sexual abuse.

How it is being reported

• FBI arrest leads to maximum 90-year sentence for gymnastics coach who recorded minors at Mississippi gymSean Gardner received the maximum 90-year prison sentence for placing a hidden camera to record young gymnasts undressing at a Mississippi gym.Fox News · 15 Oct, 02:19
• Ex-gymnastics coach handed 90-year prison sentence for secretly recording young gymnasts undressingFormer gymnastics coach Sean Gardner was sentenced to 90 years in prison for secretly recording young students at a Mississippi gym.New York Post · 15 Oct, 01:19
• Gymnastics coach gets 90 years in girls bathroom recordings caseThe judge gave the maximum sentence possible to Sean Gardner, 39, who pleaded guilty to placing a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi.CBS News · 15 Oct, 00:47

In this story: Sean Gardner · Kristi Johnson · Liang Qiao · Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute · Purvis · Mississippi · West Des Moines · Iowa

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