A federal judge in Mississippi sentenced former youth gymnastics coach Sean Gardner to 90 years in prison on Oct. 14, the maximum term allowed, for secretly filming young gymnasts in a gym bathroom. The sentence closes the federal case against a coach who later worked for four years at Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, where abuse allegations first drew police attention.
U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson handed down 30 years for each of three counts of producing child sexual abuse material, a term that effectively amounts to life in prison for the 39-year-old. Gardner pleaded guilty to hiding a camera in a bathroom at Jump'In Gymnastics in Purvis, Mississippi, between December 2017 and April 2018, according to Zero Hedge, which first reported the sentencing details.
How the Iowa Investigation Uncovered the Mississippi Recordings
The recordings might never have surfaced without Iowa investigators. Police in West Des Moines searched Gardner's apartment in May 2025 while looking into abuse allegations tied to his time at Chow's, and the FBI arrested him that August. Agents seized roughly 50 videos and 400 photos from his residence, an FBI affidavit cited by CBS News shows.
Investigators say the recordings show at least 10 minors undressing or naked. Gardner was indicted on 10 counts in August 2025, and a superseding indictment in April added two more. He pleaded guilty to counts 1, 3 and 7.
Gardner has not been charged over the Iowa allegations, and nothing in those records has been tested in court. Police told CBS News they will decide how to proceed once the federal case wraps up.
Lawsuits Claim USA Gymnastics and SafeSport Were Warned in 2017
Two lawsuits filed Dec. 1 in Polk County allege USA Gymnastics and the SafeSport Center were told about Gardner's behavior in December 2017 and did nothing. The plaintiffs are two former gymnasts.
According to the Associated Press's account of the filings, the suits claim the organizations were alerted to