FBI arrests US gymnastics academy coach accused of sexually abusing young girls on child porn charges
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Last week the FBI arrested gymnastics coach Sean Gardner, 38, on a federal child pornography charge. The arrest comes more than three years after he was suspended from coaching at Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, Iowa, for alleged sexual abuse.
Court records obtained by The Associated Press show Gardner was accused of sexually abusing at least three young gymnasts at Chow’s and secretly recording others undressing in a gym bathroom at his previous place of employment at Jump’In Gymnastics & Tumbling in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
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This booking photo provided by the Des Moines, Iowa, Polk County Sheriff’s Office shows Sean Gardner on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (Polk County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
Chow’s is the gym where U.S. gymnast stars Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas trained before becoming gold medalists at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Gardner told the ABC affiliate WOI-TV in 2019 that his position at Chow's was the job he's "always wanted."
"This is the job that I’ve always wanted. Chow is really someone I have looked up to since I’ve been coaching," Gardner told the station. "And you can tell when you step foot in the gym, just even from coaching the girls, the culture that he’s built. It’s amazing. It’s beautiful."
A year later, Gardner was promoted to director of Chow’s Winter Classic, an annual meet that draws more than 1,000 gymnasts to Iowa. He also coached a junior Olympics team during his four-year tenure at Chow’s.
Several of his students earned college gymnastics scholarships, but Gardner said he had bigger goals.
"You want to leave a thumbprint