Sean Gardner, formerly a notable youth gymnastics coach, received a 90-year prison sentence on Wednesday. Gardner was found guilty of secretly recording young female students while they were undressing and using the bathroom at a gym in Mississippi.
Gardner’s sentence was the maximum extent permitted by U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson. He received 30 years for each of the three federal charges of child pornography production, all of which he admitted to.
The 39-year-old was taken into custody by the FBI last summer. News of the arrest was first covered by the Associated Press. Gardner’s case has raised serious concerns in the gymnastics community, reminiscent of previous scandals involving athlete protection failures.
The most infamous case involved Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually assaulting at least 265 young women and girls over 22 years, including several Olympic and national team gymnasts.
In Gardner’s situation, he admitted to installing a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi, from December 2017 to April 2018. He used this to record students illicitly.
Investigators discovered Gardner had produced videos featuring close-up images of at least 10 minors naked or in the process of undressing. Years later, these videos were discovered on his computers as part of inquiries into accusations of sexual abuse in Iowa.
Former students at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, alleged Gardner exploited his role to victimize them. These claims were documented in police reports and lawsuits.
Gardner was a significant figure in coaching top youth gymnasts who trained at the institute founded by Liang ‘Chow’ Qiao, known for developing Olympic-level athletes.
Despite Gardner’s Iowa-related accusations not leading to charges yet, authorities await the outcome of the federal case before deciding further action.
Women involved in Gardner’s federal case reported notifying USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport of his misconduct in 2017. They contend the organizations delayed removing him from the sport.
In 2022, Gardner faced suspension after a gymnast at Chow’s accused him of sexual abuse, resulting in his termination by Chow.
SafeSport conducted its own probe, revealing Chow and other coaches were informed of allegations against Gardner but failed to report to SafeSport as required.
Additional lawsuits against Gardner, USA Gymnastics, and Chow’s Gymnastics are still active.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.