Overview

• Gardner, 38, made an initial appearance in Des Moines on a federal count of producing visual depictions of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct, a charge punishable by up to 30 years in prison.
• Investigators say a May search of his home recovered a phone and computers with images of girls about 6 to 14 who were nude or changing, apparently recorded via a hidden restroom camera.
• FBI analysis identified videos showing at least seven girls using a bathroom at Jump’In Gymnastics in Purvis, Mississippi, including one clip allegedly showing Gardner entering and turning off the camera.
• Court records detail allegations from at least three former students at Chow’s Gymnastics in Iowa, who reported inappropriate spotting, fondling, and other sexual abuse.
• SafeSport suspended Gardner in 2022 after initial reports, the criminal probe stalled until a new complaint in April 2024 prompted renewed investigation, and he was later detained pending transfer to Mississippi; a local hospital says he is no longer employed there.