LANSING, Mich. (AP) – A former US gymnastics coach in the US with ties to the infamous sports doctor Larry Nassar, was charged on Thursday with turning his gym in Michigan into a long-standing criminal enterprise by forcing girls to train under him and them then verbally and physically abused.
John Geddert charged with two dozen crimes, including forms of human trafficking, was a move that prosecutors acknowledged was an unusual use of Michigan law.
He is also accused of lying to investigators in 2016 when he denied ever hearing complaints about Nassar, who is serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes in a scandal that has killed hundreds of victims and turned American gymnastics upside down. let turn.
Geddert, 63, was head coach of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team in 2012, which won a gold medal. He has long been associated with Nassar, who was the doctor of the Olympic team and also treated injured gymnasts in Twistars, the gym in Lansing.
Geddert is accused of recruiting minors for forced labor, a reference to the gymnasts he coached, according to documents filed in a court in Eaton County.
Geddert’s lawyer delivered a message. Attorney General Dana Nessel said the coach used “violence, fraud and coercion” for financial gain.
“The victims suffer from disorderly eating,” Nessel said, “including bulimia and anorexia, suicide attempts and suicide attempts, excessive physical conditioning, repeatedly forced to perform even when injured, extreme emotional abuse and physical abuse, including sexual assault. .
“Many of these victims still carry these scars from this behavior to this day,” the attorney general said.
The charges against Geddert include two charges of sexual assault against a teenager in 2012.
Nessel acknowledged that the case may not fit the general understanding of human trafficking.
“We see it primarily as influencing people of color or people without means to protect themselves … but honestly it can happen to anyone, anywhere,” she said. “Young, impressive women can sometimes be vulnerable and open to crime, regardless of their stature in the community or the financial well-being of their families.”
Assistant Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark said the charges against Geddert “have very little to do with Nassar.
Geddert was suspended by the US Gymnastics in Indianapolis during the Nassar scandal. He told families in 2018 that he was retiring.
On his LinkedIn page, Geddert described himself as “the most decorated female gymnastics coach in Michigan’s gymnastics history.” He said his Twistars teams have won 130 club championships.
Geddert, however, is often portrayed in unflattering ways when Nassar’s victims spoke during court hearings in 2018.
“What a great best friend John was to Larry because he gave him a whole world where he could be so easily abused,” said Lindsey Lemke, now a coach at the University of Arkansas. ‘You certainly have a funny meaning of friendship. You, John Geddert, also deserve to sit right next to Larry behind bars. ‘
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White reports from Detroit.
Nichols is a member of the corps for the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that puts journalists in local newsrooms to report on subjects.