Hawkeye Reporter

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is asking for the public's help to identify potential victims of Sean Michael Gardner, a former gymnastics coach who has been arrested on a federal charge related to the sexual exploitation of children. Anyone who believes they or their minor dependents were victimized by Gardner, or knows someone who was, can contact the FBI through its dedicated website at https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/victim-services/seeking-victim-information/seeking-victim-information-in-sean-michael-gardner-investigation.

A criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi alleges that between December 2017 and April 2018, Gardner placed a hidden camera in a bathroom at a gymnastics studio in Purvis, Mississippi. The complaint states that he created several videos showing minors undressed, including close-up images of their anuses and genitals. After leaving Mississippi in 2018, Gardner moved to Iowa where he coached at a gym in West Des Moines.

In late May 2025, police in West Des Moines searched Gardner’s apartment. According to investigators, forensic analysis of electronic devices seized during the search revealed recordings from the hidden camera used at the Mississippi gym.

Gardner is currently being held in federal custody while further legal proceedings continue in the Southern District of Mississippi.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal for the Southern District of Iowa announced these developments. Agencies involved in investigating this case include the Federal Bureau of Investigation-Child Exploitation Task Force, FBI Jackson Division (Mississippi), Iowa Department of Public Safety-Division of Criminal Investigation-Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and West Des Moines Police Department.