Former Gymnastics Coach Sentenced to 90 Years in Iowa Case

Biloxi Gulfport, MS, October 15, 2026 —

Former youth gymnastics coach Sean Gardner was sentenced to 90 years in prison in Iowa after pleading guilty to three federal charges of producing child pornography, according to the information provided.

The case involved secretly recording young female students as they undressed and used the bathroom at a gym in Mississippi. The summary does not identify the gym, provide the city where it was located or say when the recordings were made.

Gardner’s guilty plea was to three federal child pornography production charges. The sentence was imposed in Iowa, but the information provided does not name the court or specify when the sentencing took place. It also does not explain why the case was handled in Iowa or provide further details about the plea agreement or the court’s reasoning for the sentence.

The stated sentence is 90 years in prison. No additional information was provided about whether the sentence includes other penalties, how it is to be served, or whether Gardner has appealed. The summary also does not provide details about the number or ages of the students, the number of recordings, or how the conduct came to the attention of authorities.

The available account establishes the central facts: Gardner was a former youth gymnastics coach, the recordings were made at a Mississippi gym, and the sentence followed his guilty plea to three federal production charges. Further details about the investigation, court proceedings and any impact statements were not included in the information provided.

Story summarized from the original created by Associated Press on www.wxxv25.com, see more information here.