LANSING, Mich. (AP) – Former U.S. Olympic gymnastics coach linked to embarrassed sports doctor Larry Nassar committed suicide Thursday hours after he was accused of turning his gym in Michigan into a center of human trafficking, forcing girls to train and then abuse them. .
John Geddert faced 24 charges that could have resulted in years in prison if convicted. He was scheduled to appear in court in Eaton County near Lansing, but his body was found in a rest area along Highway 96, according to state police.
“This is a tragic end to a tragic story for everyone involved,” said Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
Nessel announced earlier that Geddert had been charged with a lot of crimes, including sexual assault, human trafficking and running a criminal enterprise. The accusations were the last consequences from the sexual abuse scandal involving Nassar, a former Michigan State University sports physician now in prison.
Geddert, 63, was not arrested and taken to court. Rather, Nessel’s office allowed him to appear on his own.
“I had no indication that Geddert intended to flee or injure himself or others. We were in contact with his lawyer and we were assured of his cooperation, “said Nessel spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney.
Appeals for comments from attorney Chris Bergstrom were not returned immediately.
Geddert has been the head coach of the 2012 US Women’s Gymnastics Olympic Team, which won a gold medal. He was long associated with Nassar, who was the doctor of the Olympic team and also treated injured gymnasts at Twistars, Geddert Lansing’s gym.
Among the charges, Geddert was accused of lying to investigators in 2016, when he denied ever hearing any complaints about Nassar. But most of the case against him involved the gym in Dimondale and how he treated young athletes whose families paid to train them under him.
The charges against Geddert had “very little to do” with Nassar, said Deputy Attorney General Danielle Hagaman-Clark.
Geddert was accused of using his strong reputation in gymnastics to commit some form of human trafficking, making money through the forced labor of young athletes.
“Victims suffer from an unhealthy diet,” said Nessel, “including bulimia and anorexia, suicide and self-harm, excessive fitness, and are repeatedly forced to perform extreme emotional abuse even when injured. and physical abuse, including sexual assault.
“Many of these victims still carry these scars from this behavior to the present,” the attorney general said.
Nessel acknowledged that the case may not fit into the common understanding of human trafficking.
“We think it mainly affects people of color or people without the means to protect themselves … but honestly it can happen to anyone, anywhere,” she said. “Impressive young women can sometimes be vulnerable and open to trafficking, regardless of their stature in the community or the financial well-being of their families.”
Geddert was suspended by 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 gymnastics history.” He said his Twistars have won 130 club championships.
But Geddert was often described in unpleasant ways when Nassar’s victims spoke during court hearings in 2018. Some insisted he was aware of the doctor’s abuse.
Sarah Klein, a gymnast who trained under Geddert for more than 10 years and was assaulted by Nassar, said the coach’s death was an “escape from justice” and “traumatic beyond words.”
“His suicide is a recognition of the guilt that the whole world can see now,” said Klein, a lawyer.
Rachael Denhollander, the first gymnast to publicly accuse Nassar of sexual abuse in 2016, said she was proud of the women who took a step against Geddert.
“So much pain and sorrow for everyone,” she said on Twitter after her death. “For the survivors, you have been heard and believed and we are with you.”
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White reported from Detroit.
Nichols is a member of the body for the Associated Press / Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a non-profit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercover issues.