According to investigative reporting by the Indianapolis Star, USA Gymnastics failed to report allegations of sexual abuse by coaches to proper authorities.
USA Gymnastics trains the U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. Nationally, it includes more than 121,000 athletes and 3,000 gyms with its executive office in Indianapolis. USA Gymnastics has had the practice of not notifying authorities of sexual abuse allegations unless the complaints were signed by a victim or a parent of the victim. Most third-party reports are considered hearsay. The state of Indiana requires everyone to report sexual abuse; however, USA Gymnastics has argued that organizations are not bound to that law.
Records show that the organization executives have compiled complaint dossiers on more than 50 coaches and filed them in a drawer in its executive office. They are not accessible to the public. Despite sealed records of abuse allegations, the Indianapolis Star was able to discover and investigate multiple cases of sexual abuse that continued despite USA Gymnastics being alerted.
In 2011 USA Gymnastics received complaints about Marvin Sharp detailing incidents of inappropriate touching and warning that he should not be around children. Sharp was named 2010 national Women's Coach of the Year. Four years after original complaints, USA Gymnastics finally reported Sharp for accusations that he touched a gymnast's vagina, trimmed her pubic hair, and took sexually explicit pictures of her beginning when she was 12 years old. He was convicted last year and killed himself while in jail.
Coach Mark Schiefelbein was convicted in 2003 of molesting a Tennessee girl when she was 10 years old. USA Gymnastics had numerous complaints about him alleging sexual assault, but failed to notify the appropriate authorities. The girl's family contacted the police in 2002. According to police records, Schiefelbein penetrated her vagina with his finger and videotaped her exposed vagina. He is currently serving a 36-year sentence in prison.