Ex-gymnastics coach arrested on child porn offenses allegedly committed at Mississippi gym – National & International News – TUE 19Aug2025
The FBI has arrested a former gymnastics coach at an elite Olympic gym in Iowa on charges of child pornography, including secret recordings allegedly from Mississippi gym. FBI still seeking to identify potential victims.
Ex-gymnastics coach arrested on child porn offenses allegedly committed at Mississippi gym
After a years-long investigation, the FBI has arrested former gymnastics coach Sean Gardner on possession of child pornography, some of which he allegedly produced in Mississippi.
The FBI believes some of the victims were children he came into contact with at gyms he worked in Louisiana, Iowa and Mississippi. The last gym he worked for was Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, IA, which is renowned for training Olympic gold medalists and other top competing gymnasts. Gardner was hired at Chow’s in 2018 and worked there until 2022. Court records show he has been accused of sexually abusing at least three underaged gymnasts while working at Chow’s.
Before working at Chow’s, Gardner worked at Jump’In Gymnastics’ facility in Purvis, MS, from 2014-2018. Jump’In Gymnastics has since moved to Hattiesburg, according to Mississippi Today. Court records allege that Gardner secretly recorded both adult women and underaged girls undressing in a gym bathroom. Some of the recordings appear to come from Jump’In Gymnastics’s former Purvis location.
Since the child porn charges Gardner was arrested for originate in Mississippi, he will be transported to Mississippi to face charges here. He made an initial court appearance in Iowa following his arrest last week.
According to the FBI, Gardner also worked at Athletes in Motion in Prairieville, Louisiana, from 2004 to 2014. The FBI is still working to identify potential victims. WDAM has further information on contacting authorities if you believe you have information relevant to this case.
Questions linger over investigation
The US Center for SafeSport first put Gardner on its disciplinary list three years ago, which bans him from contact with gymnasts. SafeSport is a nonprofit watchdog organization set up to investigate and counter sexual abuse of minors and athletes in US Olympic sports. The organization was created after the scandal over Larry Nassar, a former USA Gymnastics doctor accused of sexually abusing hundreds of athletes over two decades. Last year, the Department of Justice announced a $138 million settlement with some of Nassar’s victims who accused the FBI of botching the investigation into Nassar, allowing him to continue to victimize athletes.
However, critics have said SafeSport’s investigations and disciplinary actions are too opaque investigations and take too long to complete. Even two years after SafeSport initiated its disciplinary action against Gardner, Gardner was able to land a job in post-surgical care, a job which would also give him access to vulnerable patients. According to the surgical center where was employed, he is no longer working there.
At this moment, it’s also unclear at what point the FBI became involved in the case and what prompted their involvement.
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