Gymnastics Coach Arrested for Child Pornography and Allegations of Sexual Abuse
A well-known gymnastics coach has been apprehended on a charge related to child pornography, three years after his suspension from coaching.
Sean Gardner, who was affiliated with a prestigious academy recognized for nurturing Olympic champions, was arrested by the FBI last week.
This arrest follows Gardner’s suspension from Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, three years ago. He relocated from Mississippi to Iowa in 2018 for this position.
According to court documents obtained by the Associated Press, Gardner faces accusations of sexually abusing at least three young gymnasts at Chow’s and secretly recording others undressing in a gym restroom at his previous job at Jump’In Gymnastics & Tumbling in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Chow’s Gymnastics is particularly notable as the training ground for U.S. gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas, who won gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, respectively.
Us Weekly has reached out to Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute and Jump’In Gymnastics & Tumbling for a statement.
The U.S. Center for SafeSport, established in response to the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, has yet to resolve Gardner’s case, as it manages cases of sexual abuse in Olympic sports.
In May, law enforcement in West Des Moines executed a search warrant at Gardner’s residence, resulting in the discovery of photos and videos on his computer and cellphone depicting nude underage girls, as indicated in the court documents.
An affidavit released by the FBI on August 15 outlined some of the alleged misconduct attributed to Gardner.
A young girl reported to SafeSport in March 2022 that Gardner employed “inappropriate spotting techniques” during training, which involved him placing his hands between her legs and touching her vagina.
This same girl alleged that Gardner would question girls about their sexual activity and would use derogatory terms such as “idiots, sluts, and whores.” She named six other potential victims, one of whom came forward in August 2022 alleging “sexual contact and physical abuse” by Gardner.
SafeSport suspended Gardner in July 2022, four months after the initial allegations emerged, but a potential criminal investigation was halted when none of the alleged victims were willing to pursue charges.
Progress in Gardner’s case was stagnant until April 2024, when another former student of his at Chow’s stepped forward with allegations of abuse.
On August 15, Gardner appeared in a Des Moines courtroom facing a charge of producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, a charge that could result in a prison term of up to 30 years.
