Sean Gardner, a 39-year-old former youth gymnastics coach, was sentenced in October 2026 to 90 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to three counts of producing child sexual abuse material involving secret recordings of young female athletes at a Mississippi studio.
The Federal Case and Maximum Penalties
U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson handed down the maximum possible sentence of 30 years for each of the three federal child pornography production charges against Gardner. The total 90-year term effectively amounts to a life sentence for the 39-year-old. Investigators recovered close-up videos of at least 10 minors naked or undressing from computers seized during the federal probe, documenting actions that took place between December 2017 and April 2018 at a gym in Purvis, Mississippi.
Case update from @FBIJackson : A former gymnastics coach was sentenced in federal court to 90 years in prison for secretly videoing young gymnasts in the bathroom of a gym where he coached. According to court documents and statements made in court, Sean Gardner used his access… pic.twitter.com/lGJqr8ZVoI
Oversight Failures at USA Gymnastics and SafeSport
Attorneys for several affected women alleged that both USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Center for SafeSport were notified of inappropriate behavior by Gardner as early as 2017 but failed to remove him from the sport for years. SafeSport ultimately issued a temporary suspension in 2022 after a gymnast at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute alleged sexual abuse. Following that 2022 suspension, Chow’s—founded by Liang “Chow” Qiao—terminated Gardner’s employment.
| Entity / Individual | Role / Affiliation | Action / Status |
|---|---|---|
| Sean Gardner | Former Youth Gymnastics Coach | Sentenced to 90 years in federal prison on three counts |
| U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson | Federal Judiciary | Issued maximum sentence of 30 years per federal count |
| U.S. Center for SafeSport | Oversight Body | Temporarily suspended Gardner in 2022; dismissed from two lawsuits in May under federal immunity |
| Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute | Training Facility (West Des Moines, Iowa) | Fired Gardner in 2022; ongoing civil lawsuits pending |
Unresolved Allegations and Ongoing Litigation
While the federal prosecution in Mississippi has concluded with the maximum sentence, several former students from Chow’s Gymnastics in West Des Moines, Iowa, have made separate allegations accusing Gardner of preying on them under the guise of his coaching position. Gardner has not faced criminal charges in connection with the Iowa allegations, as local law authorities stated they waited for the federal case to conclude before determining how to proceed. Meanwhile, multiple civil lawsuits involving Gardner, USA Gymnastics, and Chow’s Gymnastics remain active in the courts.
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