Indianapolis-based elite gymnastics coach Marvin Sharp was found dead Sept. 19 in his jail cell.
STORY: Gymnastics coach Marvin Sharp found dead in jail cell
He made his initial court appearance Sept. 16 on child pornography charges.
Sharp faced federal charges on top of his local child pornography charges. Eyewitness News learned of the new charges Tuesday.
Thousands of files containing child pornography, including image files and a video, were found during the raid on Sharp's home. He's also accused of molesting a girl he was coaching for two years. She was 12 years old when the alleged abuse started, and the report describes numerous occasions involving molestation. The girl said she was afraid Sharp would hurt her or kick her out of the gym if she didn't go along with it.
"This is someone who was very much like a father figure to her," said Marion County Deputy Prosecutor Courtney Curtis. "He was definitely using that relationship with her to betray her trust."
"In over 90 percent of cases of child molestation, the child knows their perpetrator," said Sandy Runkle with Prevent Child Abuse Indiana. "Because it usually is somebody they trust, then that trusted person-- that can cause a great deal of confusion. They love that person, so it's just very, very complicated for a child."
Sharp has been charged with three counts of Child Molesting (one C Felony and two Level 4 Felonies) and three counts of Sexual Misconduct with a Minor (Level 5 Felonies) by the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office for allegations of inappropriate behavior with a minor while acting as her gymnastics coach. Sharp has also been charged with knowing receipt of child pornography and knowing possession of child pornography by the United States Attorney’s Office.
When asked how many other victims there could be, Curtis said, "It would be too early to say, but he's been doing this for a long time and we have thousands of images to comb through."
Allegations
According to court documents, the alleged abuse began when the victim was 12 years old. The girl told investigators that in the summer of 2013, while she was carpooling with a friend, Sharp asked her if she wanted to do a photo shoot. The girl agreed and Sharp took her to a room inside his gym at 8070 Georgetown Road. He had camera equipment set up along with a small tent. The girl said Sharp had outfits for children from toddler age up to her own age.
The girl said Sharp told her to put on a white bra and underwear. She told him she wanted to use the bathroom to get changed, but Sharp insisted that she use the tent instead.
Between 2013 and 2015, when she was between the ages of 12 to 14, the girl told investigators Sharp took hundreds "if not thousands" of photos of her in various outfits and poses during four or five photo shoots. In one photo, she said Sharp asked her to spread her legs, which seemed both "inappropriate and creepy" to her. She also described Sharp having her wear a black bra and underwear and a straightjacket during one of the shoots.
The girl told police that Sharp would often "fix her underwear." Instead of letting her do it herself, she said that Sharp would put his fingers inside the underwear and on her genitals. She said this occurred at all of the photo shoots. She also said that Sharp, who told her she no longer needed to see her physical therapist because he could take care of it, had touched her inappropriately on many occasions. Her report also said that Sharp wouldn't let her wear underwear with her leotard at practice although all of the other girls did. He told her on at least three occasions that he didn't like seeing the lines of her underwear.
The girl described another occasion where Sharp was supposed to be working on physical therapy with her. He allegedly had her change out of her leotard and into gym shorts, but did not allow her to put on underwear. He then allegedly put his hand down the top of the girl's shorts.
According to the girl's reports, Sharp also conducted photo shoots with younger gymnasts who were 5- and 7 years old. The girl told investigators that the 5-year-old said she'd been put into a white dress without any underwear and photographed.
During competitions that required overnight stays, the girl said Sharp would insist on getting connecting rooms with a door in the middle, and he would leave the door between the rooms open at night. On another occasion, the girl said Sharp made her sit in his lap while he drove around an abandoned parking lot and asked her if she wanted him to teach her how to drive.
In the summer of 2014, the girl said Sharp asked if he could shave her pubic hair that was showing near her leotard. He said he wanted to do a laser hair removal treatment, but the girl refused.
"This is the story of a girl who basically had had enough," said Curtis. "And at one point in time, basically said she wasn't going back to the gym any longer--she just reached her breaking point. And then, in that time in which she was free from him, did feel comfortable telling her parents everything that had happened to her."
Sharp questioned
When questioned, Sharp told investigators that he coached the girl up to 30 hours per week and talked a lot about the time he'd invested in her. He also described out-of-state visits where he stayed in a hotel with the girl, but said nothing happened. Sharp said the photo shoots, which lasted around 90 minutes, were conducted with the girl's mother's permission, and that the photos where the girl was in a bra and underwear were "muscle pictures."
Sharp said he never did anything to the girl to make her feel uncomfortable but said looking back, there were some situations he would have avoided. He described telling the girl that because she doesn't wear underwear at competitions, she shouldn't wear it during practice, either. He also told investigators earlier in the interview that the choice to wear underwear is left up to the athlete and that he hadn't told any of his athletes that they shouldn't wear underwear - only that their underwear shouldn't poke out from under their leotards.
Sunday arrest
Sharp was arrested at his northwest side Indianapolis home Sunday night. As of Monday night, he was still in police custody.
The investigation of Sharp started with a complaint from a student, a female gymnast at Sharp's Gymnastics Academy on Georgetown Road in Indianapolis. He initially faced a single charge of child molestation.
IMPD, Indiana State Police and federal agents removed evidence from the 48-year-old's home. Detectives took computers and other electronic devices to a special mobile lab, searching for what sources describe as child pornography. Authorities also raided his gym, removing other pieces of potential evidence.
It's the same facility where Olympian Bridget Sloan trained for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, where she won a silver medal. Another member of that Olympic team, Samantha Peszek, trained at Sharp's Gymnastics Academy after the Games.
USA Gymnastics statement regarding charges against Marvin Sharp
"USA Gymnastics is concerned with the charges filed today against Marvin Sharp and is cooperating with law enforcement in its investigation. Athlete safety is the top priority for USA Gymnastics, and these charges contradict USA Gymnastics' philosophy, standards and policy.
"In accordance with the request today, we encourage anyone who has information that would assist law enforcement to contact them at 1-877-477-1847.
