The U.S. gymnastics community was still healing from a major sexual abuse scandal when a talented young coach relocated from Mississippi to Iowa in 2018, accepting a position at an elite academy renowned for producing Olympic champions.
Liang “Chow” Qiao, the proprietor of Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute in West Des Moines, held his new employee, Sean Gardner, in such high regard that he entrusted him with overseeing the club’s top junior event and coaching some of its most talented young athletes.
However, four years later, Gardner left Chow’s without much fanfare.
The organization USA Gymnastics, which was significantly impacted by the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal that resulted in the establishment of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, had been notified by the monitoring body that Gardner was prohibited from any interaction with gymnasts.
The cause of Gardner’s dismissal was not revealed. However, court documents obtained exclusively by the Associated Press indicate that the coach was accused of sexually assaulting at least three young gymnasts at Chow’s and secretly recording others changing in a gym restroom from his previous position in Mississippi.
Last week, over three years after he was removed from coaching, the FBI arrested Gardner, 38, on a federal charge related to child pornography. However, his disciplinary matter remains unresolved by SafeSport, which oversees sex abuse cases within Olympic sports.
In situations like Gardner’s, the public may remain unaware for many years as SafeSport examines and takes action against coaches. SafeSport mandates that allegations be reported to law enforcement to prevent abusers from going unnoticed within the sports community, yet opponents argue the process is slow and unclear.
“From an external operational perspective, it appears that whenever SafeSport is involved in any capacity, the situation becomes extremely problematic,” said attorney Steve Silvey, a long-time critic of SafeSport who has represented individuals in cases related to the organization.
Although recognizing that delays may occur as its investigations progress, SafeSport defended its temporary suspensions in a statement, calling them “a unique and beneficial measure” when there are concerns about potential harm to others.
However, in 2024, Gardner managed to secure a position assisting with the care of surgical patients at a hospital in Iowa — two years following the time the abuse accusations against him were brought to SafeSport and law enforcement.
It wasn’t until late May that the West Des Moines police carried out a search warrant at his residence, ultimately resulting in the discovery of a collection of images and videos on his computer and mobile device featuring underage girls in the nude, according to court documents.
Officials in Iowa sealed the court records after the AP inquired about the investigation earlier this month, prior to the public release of the federal charges on Friday. Gardner, Qiao, and Gardner’s previous employer in Mississippi did not respond to requests for comments from the AP.
The position I have always desired
Chow’s Gymnastics is most recognized as the training center where American gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Gabby Douglas prepared before winning gold medals at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics.
Qiao established the gym in 1998 following her time on the Chinese national team and relocating to the United States to serve as a coach at the University of Iowa. The gym attracted elite young gymnasts, with some families relocating to Iowa to train there.
Gardner relocated to Iowa in September 2018, eager to take on the challenge of coaching under Qiao.
This is the position I’ve always dreamed of. Chow is someone I have greatly admired since I started coaching,” Gardner said to the ABC affiliate WOI-TV in 2019. “And you can sense it when you enter the gym, even just from coaching the girls, the atmosphere he has created. It’s incredible. It’s remarkable.
A year later, Gardner was appointed as the director of Chow’s Winter Classic, an annual event that attracts over 1,000 gymnasts to Iowa. He also served as a coach for a junior Olympics team throughout his four years at Chow’s.
Some of his students received college gymnastics scholarships, yet Gardner mentioned he had greater aspirations.
“You desire to make a lasting impact on their lives, so that when they move on, hopefully to school and greater opportunities, they recall Chow’s as part of their family,” he mentioned in a 2020 interview with WOI-TV.
Coach faces allegations of sexual misconduct in Iowa and Mississippi
Gardner is charged with exploiting his roles at Chow’s and his previous position at Jump’In Gymnastics in Mississippi to target young girls under his guidance, as outlined in a nine-page FBI affidavit made public on Friday, detailing the accusations against him.
A female individual came forward to SafeSport in March 2022, stating that Gardner employed “inappropriate spotting methods” by placing his hands between her legs and making contact with her genital area, according to the affidavit.
It claimed she accused Gardner of questioning girls about their sexual activity and labeling them “idiots, sluts, and whores.” She mentioned this conduct started after his employment in 2018 and persisted until she left the gym in 2020, along with providing the names of six additional possible victims.
SafeSport placed Gardner on hold in July 2022—four months following the girl’s complaint—a temporary measure the organization may implement in serious situations when there is “adequate evidence” to support the investigation.
One month later, the center obtained a report from another girl claiming further “sexual contact and physical abuse,” stating that Gardner touched her in a similar manner during exercise sessions, according to the FBI affidavit. The girl reported that he once pulled her across the carpet so forcefully that it caused burns on her buttocks, as mentioned in the affidavit.
SafeSport provided the reports to the West Des Moines police department, in accordance with its policy that mandates adults working with young athletes to report any possible criminal matters to authorities.
Although SafeSport’s suspension removed Gardner from gymnastics, the criminal investigation soon encountered a setback.
Police reports indicate that a detective advised SafeSport to encourage the accused victims to file criminal complaints, but only one mother reached out to the police in 2022. This individual stated that her daughter did not wish to proceed with criminal charges, leading the police to halt the investigation.
Individuals who have experienced abuse frequently hesitate to work with law enforcement, according to Ken Lang, a former detective and adjunct professor of criminal justice at Milligan University.
In this instance, you hold the reputation of this facility,” he stated. “Do they wish to link their name with that, in such a manner, when their goals were to excel in gymnastics?
The police put the investigation on hold, despite Gardner being on probation for his second drunk driving offense.
A previously inactive case was revived, and a year later, an arrest occurred.
The case remained inactive until April 2024, when another former student of Chow approached the West Des Moines Police Department to file abuse accusations, as stated in a sealed affidavit signed by police detective Jeff Lyon. The AP is withholding the student’s identity in accordance with its policy of not disclosing the names of alleged sexual abuse victims.
The 18-year-old informed the police that she started taking lessons from Gardner when she was 11 or 12 in 2019, initially regarding him as a “father figure” who aimed to assist her during her parents’ divorce. He assured her that she could share “anything” with him, according to the affidavit.
In 2021, when she relocated, she informed the police that he hugged her and mentioned she could message him and follow him on Instagram and other social media platforms, where he used the handle “Coach Seanie,” as the gym’s rule against such interactions was no longer in effect.
As per a summary of her statement included in Lyon’s affidavit, she claimed that Gardner touched her vagina during exercises; rubbed her back and buttocks and talked about his sexual life; and had her perform improper stretches that revealed her private areas.
She informed the police that she believed he used his mobile phone to record her in that posture.
Contacted by the AP, the teenager’s mother refused to comment. The mother informed authorities she wanted a financial settlement from Chow’s gym because “they were aware of the complaints and did nothing to stop them,” as stated in Lyon’s affidavit. The gym did not respond to AP messages requesting a statement.
It took 16 months following the teenager’s 2024 report for the FBI to apprehend Gardner, who appeared in court in Des Moines on Friday facing charges of creating visual representations of minors involved in sexually explicit activities, a crime that could result in a maximum sentence of 30 years. A public defender assigned to his case did not respond to AP requests for comment.
It remains uncertain why the case took such an extended period to examine, and it’s also unclear when the FBI, which paid $138 million to Nassar’s victims for mishandling that investigation, became involved in the matter.
Among the items recovered by investigators in late May were a mobile phone, laptop, and desktop computer, as well as handwritten notes exchanged between Gardner and his former students, as stated in the sealed court records.
They discovered pictures of girls aged roughly 6 to 14, showing them naked, using the bathroom, or putting on leotards, as indicated by the documents. These images seem to have been taken by a hidden camera in a restroom.
They also discovered 50 video files and 400 images, some of which seemed to involve child pornography, as stated in the FBI affidavit. One video is said to depict Gardner going into the bathroom and switching off the camera.
Authorities also discovered photos of an adult woman being secretly recorded entering and leaving a bathtub, and they recognized her as Gardner’s ex-girlfriend. This woman, along with the gym’s owner, Candi Workman, informed investigators that the images seemed to have been taken from Jump’In Gymnastics’ location in Purvis, Mississippi, which has now shut down.
SafeSport’s power has limits
SafeSport has consistently claimed that its ability to impose penalties when criminal charges are not filed is central to its purpose. Nevertheless, Gardner’s success in securing a position in healthcare highlights the boundaries of this authority: It can prohibit individuals from participating in sports, but such a penalty does not necessarily become widely known to the public.
Although it did not address Gardner’s case specifically, the organization stated in a release given to AP that several factors contribute to the lengthy time it takes to resolve cases, such as the 8,000 reports it gets annually with only approximately 30 full-time investigators. It mentioned that it has updated certain processes in an effort to improve efficiency.
While the Center is capable and frequently collaborates in law enforcement inquiries,” it stated, “law enforcement is not obligated to provide information, updates, or even acknowledge that an investigation is taking place.
The president of USA Gymnastics, Li Li Leung, described the center’s responsibilities as “extremely challenging and hard to manage.”
I wish to witness greater consistency in their results and penalties,” Leung stated. “I desire more uniformity in various aspects. I would like to see increased communication and greater openness from their end.
A situation that remains, even after the SafeSport prohibition
As the investigation continued, Gardner mentioned on his Facebook page that he secured a new job in May 2024 as a surgical technologist at MercyOne West Des Moines Medical Center. This position involves placing patients on the operating room table and supporting them during procedures and after surgery.
When asked about Gardner’s job, hospital spokesperson Todd Mizener told the AP: “The only details I can share are that he is no longer” at the hospital.
In the meantime, the case remains unresolved, causing uncertainty in people’s lives more than three years since the SafeSport Center and law enforcement became aware of it.
SafeSport has now become part of a bigger issue rather than a remedy, if it ever was one,” stated attorney Silvey. “The most basic professional responsibility, such as collaborating with local or federal law enforcement, is frequently mishandled on a daily basis, occurring hundreds of times annually.
Foley and Pells contribute to the Associated Press. AP reporter Will Graves provided input.
This narrative first was published inLos Angeles Times.
