A former youth gymnastics coach, Sean Gardner, has been sentenced to 90 years in federal prison for secretly recording young female students undressing and using the bathroom at a Mississippi gym. U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson imposed the maximum sentence on Wednesday, ordering Gardner, 39, to serve 30 years for each of the three child pornography production charges to which he pleaded guilty.
The sentence effectively amounts to life in prison for Gardner. His arrest last summer by the FBI brought renewed attention to allegations that gymnastics authorities had not adequately protected athletes from abuse by influential coaches.
Gardner admitted to placing a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi, between December 2017 and April 2018. Investigators discovered videos on his computers depicting at least 10 minors naked or undressing, which were recovered during an investigation into claims of sexual abuse in Iowa.
Several former students at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, have accused Gardner of preying on them due to his influential position. The institute, founded by Olympic champion coach Liang “Chow” Qiao, was where Gardner coached youth prospects and directed an annual winter meet.
Gardner has not been charged in relation to the Iowa allegations, with police deferring action pending the conclusion of the federal case. Lawsuits filed by former students also allege that USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport were aware of Gardner’s alleged misconduct in 2017 but failed to remove him from the sport for several years.
SafeSport temporarily suspended Gardner in 2022 after a gymnast at Chow’s reported sexual abuse. The gym subsequently fired him. Investigations by SafeSport revealed that individuals associated with Chow’s, including Chow himself, were aware of prior allegations against Gardner but did not report them as required by policy.