John Geddert, a former US Olympic Team gymnastics coach, committed suicide by self-inflicted gunshot hours after being indicted on more than two dozen charges relating to sexual assault and human trafficking, WOOD NBC-8 in Michigan reports.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had held a news conference Thursday morning announcing that her office was filing charges against Geddert, who was accused of assaulting or trafficking more than 150 women, in association with Larry Nassar, the former team doctor, who was convicted of multiple counts of child pornography and sexual assault of minors.
“These allegations focus around multiple acts of verbal, physical and sexual abuse perpetrated by the defendant against multiple young women. I am grateful for these survivors coming forward to cooperate with our investigation and for bravely sharing their stories,” Nessel said.
The head coach of the 2012 Olympics women’s gymnastics team, Geddert was charged with:
- 14 counts of human trafficking, forced labor causing injury, a 15-year felony;
- Six counts of human trafficking of a minor for forced labor, a 20-year felony;
- One count of continuing criminal enterprise, a 20-year felony;
- One count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a life offense felony;
- One count of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, a 15-year felony; and
- One count of lying to a peace officer during a violent crime investigation, a four-year felony.
Multiple members of the Olympics team, which won the gold medal at the 2012 Games in London, came forward to file complaints about both Nassar and Geddert.