Former Gymnastics Coach Sean Gardner Sentenced to 90 Years in Federal Prison for Secretly Filming Young Gymnasts in Mississippi Gym Bathroom
Sean Gardner, a former gymnastics coach in Purvis, in Lamar County, Mississippi, was sentenced on October 14 in federal court in Hattiesburg to 90 years in federal prison for secretly videoing young gymnasts in the bathroom of a gym where he coached. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi announced the sentence the same day.
Gardner, 39, of West Des Moines, Iowa, had pleaded guilty to three counts of production of child sexual abuse material. According to court records, U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson imposed 30 years on each count, to run consecutively for a total of 90 years, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release, and ordered him to pay about $9,290 in restitution to victims; he was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
According to court documents and statements made in court, the investigation began after reports were made to the U.S. Center for SafeSport alleging that Gardner, while working as a gymnastics coach, engaged in inappropriate conduct involving minor athletes. SafeSport forwarded the allegations to law enforcement, which led to a joint investigation by local and federal authorities. During a search of Gardner's Iowa residence, law enforcement seized multiple electronic devices; a forensic examination revealed numerous images and videos depicting minor children, some under the age of 12, in states of undress that appeared to have been recorded using a concealed camera. Investigators determined that several of the recordings were made in a restroom at a gym in Purvis, Mississippi, where Gardner previously worked, with files dated as early as 2017 and 2018, and identified several of the minors depicted as his former gymnastics students.
"Today's sentence sends an undeniable message: those who prey on our children will be found, prosecuted, and held accountable to the fullest extent of the law," said United States Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger. "Today's sentence ensures that Gardner will spend the rest of his life paying the price for the devastating harm he caused." Robert A. Eikhoff, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, said Gardner manipulated and abused children while betraying the profound trust their families placed in him, and that the FBI will marshal every resource to pursue those who exploit children.
Parents of children who were at any point under Gardner's instruction can find resources and further information through the FBI's victim information page for this case. The case was investigated by the FBI and the West Des Moines Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kimberly Purdie and Lee Smith. It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, the Department of Justice's nationwide initiative, launched in May 2006, to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：本案量刑地Hattiesburg的美国地区法院大楼（资料图）。Dudemanfellabra摄，经Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 3.0。 / Photo: The U.S. District Courthouse in Hattiesburg, Mississippi (file photo). By Dudemanfellabra, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
