Former gymnastics coach sentenced to 90 years in prison for secretly filming young athletes

A former coach at a prestigious Iowa gymnastics academy known for training Olympic athletes has been sentenced to 90 years in federal prison for secretly recording young gymnasts changing clothes and using the bathroom at a Mississippi gym.

Sean Gardner, 39, of West Des Moines, Iowa, received three consecutive 30-year prison terms after pleading guilty earlier this year to three counts of production of child sexual abuse material, court records show.

U.S. District Judge Kristi Johnson also ordered a lifetime term of supervised release following his incarceration and to pay about $9,290 in restitution to victims.

Court records show he was remanded to U.S. Marshals Service custody.

Federal prosecutors said Gardner abused his position of trust to secretly create recordings of children while working at a gymnastics facility in Purvis, Mississippi. Investigators later discovered images and videos from electronic devices taken from his Iowa home.

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Mississippi, the investigation began after reports were made to the U.S. Center for SafeSport alleging "inappropriate conduct involving minor athletes." SafeSport referred the matter to law enforcement, leading to a joint local and federal investigation.

Prosecutors said Gardner used his access to children as a gymnastics coach in Purvis to "surreptitiously record minors changing clothes and using the bathroom."

During a search of his Iowa residence, investigators found multiple electronic devices.

A forensic examination uncovered numerous images and videos depicting children, including some younger than 12, according to prosecutors.

Investigators said the recordings showed children changing clothes or otherwise partially undressed and were captured using a concealed camera.

Authorities determined several recordings were made in a bathroom at the Purvis gym where Gardner worked from 2017 to 2018, prosecutors said. Investigators identified several children shown in the videos as former gymnastics students.

Gardner was arrested by the FBI in August 2025 and pleaded guilty in May to three counts of production of child sexual abuse material, according to prosecutors.

"This is one of the most reprehensible crimes prosecuted by my office," U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger said in a statement announcing the guilty plea. "Coach Sean Gardner exploited his position to abuse and exploit those children he was entrusted to mentor and care for."