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Sean Gardner, a once-prominent youth gymnastics coach, was sentenced Wednesday to 90 years in prison after he was found guilty of secretly recording young female students undressing and using the bathroom at a Mississippi gym.
Gardner’s sentence was the maximum possible span that U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson could hand down.
Gardner was ordered to serve 30 years in prison for each of the three federal child pornography production charges he pleaded guilty to.
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Sean Gardner, 39, was sentenced to 90 years in prison for pleading guilty to three different charges of producing child pornography with his teenage female students. (AP IMAGES)
The 39-year-old was arrested by the FBI last summer, which was first reported by the Associated Press. The allegations against Gardner sent a shock wave through the sport, as US gymnastics came under fire after another instance where its athletes were not adequately protected from sexual abuse.
The most famous case was the conviction of Larry Nassar, where he was found guilty of sexually assaulting at least 265 young women and girls over a 22-year period, which included many Olympic and US women’s national gymnasts.
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In Gardner’s case, he pleaded guilty to placing a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi, between December 2017 and April 2018, where he recorded his students.
An investigation found that Gardner created videos with close-up images of at least 10 minors naked or undressing. Investigators found the videos on his computers years later while looking into claims he sexually abused gymnasts in Iowa.
Some of Gardner’s former students at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, claim he used his position to defend them, citing police reports and civil lawsuits.
Ragan Smith competes on the balance beam during the P&G Gymnastics Championships at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on August 18, 2017. (Getty Images)
Gardner was a key coach for top youth gymnasts who frequented the institute founded by Liang “Chow” Qiao, another prominent coach known for producing Olympic talent.
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Gardner has not yet been charged in connection with the Iowa claims, although authorities noted they are awaiting the results of the federal case before determining how to proceed.
Some of the women involved in Gardner’s federal case also argued that USA Gymnastics and the US Center for SafeSport were informed about his behavior in 2017. However, they claim that the organizations did not take action to remove him from the sport for years.
In 2022, Gardner was suspended after a gymnast at Chow accused him of sexual misconduct. Chow later fired him.
Fred Richard of the United States trains on the horizontal bar during podium training for the Artistic Gymnastics World Championships-Rotterdam 2026 in Rotterdam Ahoy on October 14, 2026, in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. (Getty Images)
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SafeSport conducted its own investigation at the time, noting that Chow and other coaches had been made aware of the allegations of sexual misconduct against Gardner. But they failed to report them to SafeSport, which is required by policy.
Other lawsuits remain against Gardner, USA Gymnastics and Chow’s Gymnastics.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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