Netflix documentary Athlete A recounts the exposure, trial and conviction of sports doctor Larry Nassar, but the case against former USA Gymnastics president and CEO Steve Penny is still ongoing. USAG itself is facing civil litigation from more than 500 of Nassar’s victims, and Penny is facing felony charges of tampering with evidence in order to impede the case against Nassar.
Specifically, Penny is accused of arranging for documents at Karolyi Ranch, a training facility for the US team of Olympic gymnasts, to be removed and brought to him at USAG headquarters. The documents in question are related to Nassar’s treatment of the girls and young women who passed through Karolyi Ranch. The criminal charges allege that Penny had them removed from Karolyi Ranch with the intention of having them destroyed or hidden. If found guilty, he faces two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
As detailed towards to the end of Athlete A, Steve Penny was arrested in October 2018. The following day, USA Gymnastics added him to its list of “permanently ineligible” persons, meaning that he can never again be a part of the organization. Penny pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on bail later that month. Since then, there has been little progress in the case.
Steve Penny Is Still Awaiting Trial For Evidence Tampering
The documents that Penny is accused of attempting to hide were found at USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis in November 2018, a little more than week after Penny was released on bail. Per The New York Times, Penny’s defense attorney, Rusty Hardin, claims that his client never had possession of the documents and didn’t know where they were, and that the charges are based on “a colossal misunderstanding.” He also argues that “nobody has officially ever asked for” the documents, which is technically true. Prosecutors never issued a subpoena for the documents because they were led to believe that USAG didn’t have them. Former USAG chief Kerry Perry even testified in front of Congress that USAG didn’t have the documents, while Penny is said to have been uncooperative in the search for them.
As of the time of writing, Penny still has yet to face trial for the charges and no trial date is set. Charges against other individuals involved in the Nassar scandal have been brought to trial: former Michigan State University coach Kathie Klages was found guilty in February 2020 of lying to the authorities about her knowledge of Nassar’s actions, while former MSU president Lou Anna K. Simon was found not guilty on similar charges in May 2020. Nassar himself may be behind bars with what is effectively a life sentence, but lingering questions remain about how he was facilitated to continue abusing young women for so long after USAG was warned about his behavior.
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