Keeping Track of Criminal Cases & SafeSport Suspensions in Skating

[skatingguy]

Craig Maurizi has filed a 10M lawsuit against Richard Callaghan and USFS:

Former skater sues coach, federation over alleged sexual abuse and coverup

Craig Maurizi has filed a $10 million lawsuit against famed figure skating coach Richard Callaghan and a trio of skating institutions.

abcnews.go.com

I hope his lawyers drag the USFS through it, and dig for every scrap of paper, and buried secret in the process.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Imagine the information that's going to come out during the depositions for this one.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

AZ news has an article about the case with Dane Ayers:

Ice dancer from Scottsdale accused of sexual relationship with 14-year-old girl

Sheriff's officials say the alleged incidents happened between Sept. of 2019 and December of 2019, in various cities.

www.azfamily.com

Ayers had been temporarily living in Estero, Florida, but has since moved back to Arizona. Sheriff's officials say the relationship ended when Ayers came back to Arizona, and he told the girl "not to tell anyone."

During the investigation into the alleged relationship, Ayers was sanctioned by the U.S. Figure Skating grievances committee. The U.S. Center for SafeSport temporarily suspended Ayers on July 9 from skating activities. Then on September 2, the organization ruled that he would be ineligible to participate in any ice skating events, programs, or competitions.

Ayers was arrested on Sept. 8. He has been charged with lewd or lascivious behavior/battery of a victim between the ages of 12 and 16. He was held on $20,000 bond but has since been released.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

News about one of the cases regarding Richard Callaghan:

Adam Schmidt reaches settlement with ice rink in Richard Callaghan sex abuse case

Litigation is still proceeding in lawsuit against Callaghan, U.S. Figure Skating

www.sbsun.com

Former figure skater Adam Schmidt has agreed to a $1.75 million settlement with the Michigan skating rink where he alleges he was sexually abused by world renown coach Richard Callaghan, according to court documents and attorneys in the case.

The settlement must still be approved by a judge in San Diego County Superior Court.

Schmidt filed a civil suit in San Diego County Superior Court in 2019 against Callaghan, coach of 1998 Olympic champion Tara Lipinski, U.S. Figure Skating, the sport’s national governing body, and Onyx Ice Arena in Rochester, Michigan alleging sexual battery, sexual harassment, sexual assault, negligent supervision, negligent hiring/retention and failure to warn, train or educate.

Litigation is proceeding against Callaghan and U.S. Figure Skating. The case isn’t expected to go to trial until at least next summer because of delays related to the coronavirus.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Thomas Incantalupo has been sentenced:

https://www.radio.com/wccoradio/articles/news/former-minneapolis-ice-skating-coach-sentenced-sex-abuse

A former Minneapolis ice skating coach will spend 24 years in prison for sexually abusing a minor over a two year period.

48-year-old Thomas Incantalupo appeared inside a Hennepin County courtroom on Friday morning. He pleaded guilty in June to having sex with a student of his when she was between 14 and 16 years old. He'd been the victim's coach since she was 9.

According to the complaint, the abuse began in 2015 when Incantalupo abused the girl inside the home of another figure skating coach. The abuse continued during a trip to Argentina where Incantalupo took the girl for coaching seminars.

 

[Sylvia]

^^^ Thanks, @Artistic Skaters (Incantalupo was sentenced in September 2019 but the news was not posted in this thread at that time).

USFS' Grievances page was last updated on Sept. 15: https://www.usfigureskating.org/grievances

On September 15, 2020, the U.S. Center for SafeSport issued the following Sanction regarding Trent Thueson:

Sanction: Temporary Suspension. Beginning on September 15, 2020, Trent Thueson is prohibited from participating, in any capacity, in any program, activity, Event, or competition sponsored by, organized by, or under the auspices of the USOPC, any NGB recognized by the USOPC, and/or any Local Affiliated Organization (LAO) of an NGB, or at a facility under the jurisdiction of the same.

Pursuant to U.S. Figure Skating Bylaw Article XXV, Section 2, U.S. Figure Skating hereby adopts the Sanction imposed by the Center temporarily suspending Trent Thueson effective September 15, 2020.

A Google search turns up that Thueson once held the position of Special Needs Program Coordinator for the Wasatch Figure Skating Club & the Weber County Sports Complex rink in Ogden, Utah.

 

[Sylvia]

Andrew Lavrik article dated November 10, 2020:

Bergen ice skating coach avoids jail time for relationship with underage student

Andrew Lavrik will enter the state’s Pretrial Intervention Program for first-time offenders after admitting to encounters with a 16-year-old girl.

www.northjersey.com

A Hackensack ice skating coach accused of having a sexual relationship with his 16-year-old student will avoid prison, provided he has no future contact with the victim, a Superior Court judge ruled Tuesday.

Andrew Lavrik, who had faced a maximum 10-year prison term on child endangerment charges, will instead enter the state’s Pretrial Intervention Program, a rehabilitative program generally reserved for first-time offenders.

 

[Gris]

Cipres is charged with a third-degree felony in Florida.

French figure skater charged in Florida following sexual abuse allegations

French Olympian Morgan Cipres allegedly sent two lewd photos to a 13-year-old American female figure skater, and has not been charged in Florida.

www.usatoday.com

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

Which will keep Cipres out of the US and possibly any other country that has an extradition agreement with the US. But France, although there is an extradition treaty with the US, doesn't allow extradition of its citizens.

 

[mjb52]

Has there been any word about Fontana/Zimmerman and what's going on with them? Seems very quiet in that department.

 

[Colonel Green]

Has there been any word about Fontana/Zimmerman and what's going on with them? Seems very quiet in that department.

The USA Today article says it’s still ongoing. From my understanding, SafeSport has a huge mandate and a not-huge budget, so conceivably it’s taking a while for that reason.

F/Z’s goose should by all rights be thoroughly cooked, though.

 

[misskarne]

I feel like Cipres' charge should be in a separate thread for visibility.

 

[overedge]

Not a criticism of the agencies involved in the process, or of their hard work - because obviously these are cases where the evidence and the process need to be as strong as possible - but it's almost a year to the day since this story became public. I hope that length of time doesn't discourage others in similar situations from speaking up.

 

[Orm Irian]

So glad to read about this. I know France’s extradition laws mean he’ll likely never see even the inside of a courtroom, never mind prison, but the fact that they’ve laid charges says to me that they had not only enough evidence to do so but a reasonable certainty of conviction should the case go to court. It’s a start, and it’s a message to other men in the US skating world who might be out there doing similar things that they won’t get away with it forever.

 

[Sylvia]

I feel like Cipres' charge should be in a separate thread for visibility.

Anyone can start a thread on FSU... here's the link to the one started by Yazmeen a few hours ago:

Morgan Cipres charged in FL

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/olympics-figure-skater-morgan-cipres-france-lewd-photos-sexual-abuse-florida-charged-225018918.html

www.fsuniverse.net

 

[ninjapirate]

This case involving a coach, Andrei Berekhovski, is in the news today. It notes that despite an arrest warrant, the coach is not listed on the SafeSport list

He was finally arrested after being extradited:

Former Central Florida figure skating coach accused of sexually abusing student

A former Olympic-level figure skating coach accused of sexually assaulting one of his students has been booked into the Orange County jail.

www.clickorlando.com

Would be interesting to see what country he was in. A lot of countries don't have extradition treaties with the US and don't like to send their citizens to face trial in the US. But this was a request by INTERPOL rather than directly by the US government.

 

[Judy]

Well, if Lavrik was banned months ago and USFS has still not updated his status on their website, that's pretty clear evidence that they are dragging their feet in some way. We don't know the reason...could be disorganized/incompetent staff or could be something else.

Or potential legal reasons?

 

[MacMadame]

Or potential legal reasons?

No. If they banned him, then telling members is certainly allowed.

 

[Judy]

Thomas Incantalupo has been sentenced:

https://www.radio.com/wccoradio/articles/news/former-minneapolis-ice-skating-coach-sentenced-sex-abuse

Wow. I do give credit to the U.S. for sentencing properly. Sentences for rape in Canada is not great at all.

 

[Sylvia]

He [Andrei Berekhovski] was finally arrested after being extradited:
https://www.clickorlando.com/news/l...ng-coach-accused-of-sexually-abusing-student/

Would be interesting to see what country he was in. A lot of countries don't have extradition treaties with the US and don't like to send their citizens to face trial in the US. But this was a request by INTERPOL rather than directly by the US government.

March 12 update:

Former figure skating coach remains jailed on molestation charges

Testimony from a detective and an agent with U.S. Border Patrol helped convince an Orange County judge to keep a former figure skating coach behind bars while he awaits trial.

www.clickorlando.com

The former figure skating coach remained overseas for nearly three years before being extradited back to the U.S., according to U.S. Border Patrol Agent Michael Cluck. Berekhovski’s extradition only happened, Cluck explained, after Interpol Police picked him up in Poland on a trip to try and visit his parents.

 

[Artistic Skaters]

Vincent Van Vliet (a competitive skater from the 1990s) pleaded guilty to a grand larceny charge regarding almost $100,000 by altering check amounts from one of his skating students.

Figure skating coach admits to stealing nearly $100k from student

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Figure skating instructor Vincent Van Vliet of Lima pleaded guilty to a grand larceny charge Friday, admitting to stealing nearly $100,000 from a student. The Erie Coun…

www.wivb.com

 

[puglover]

Any word on Richard Gauthier other than that he has been suspended by Skate Canada?

 

[greenapple]

Any word on Richard Gauthier other than that he has been suspended by Skate Canada?

According to friends in Quebec there has been no public update on this case. Whatever happened at his court appearance in December was not reported.

 

[Sylvia]

I'm really sad and horrified to have seen this news today:

Former figure skater, 17, charged with throwing father from hood of her car in Canton

Investigators say 50-year-old Guangjie Shi allegedly jumped on the hood of the car Jenna was driving at the intersection of Stanton and Liberty Monday afternoon. Jenna allegedly kept driving, throwing her father from the vehicle and severely injuring him.

www.fox2detroit.com

She last competed at U.S. Nationals in Junior, placing 12th.

 

[TanithandBenFan]

Ross Miner has been suspended for six months for sexual harassment

https://twitter.com/liftlooplunge/status/1399910898945380355?s=21

 

[peibeck]

Ross Miner has been suspended for six months for sexual harassment

https://twitter.com/liftlooplunge/status/1399910898945380355?s=21

I just saw this on Twitter and was like

 

[misskarne]

I just saw this too and rushed over to FSU.

 

[skatfan]

Christine Brennan article:

U.S. Center for SafeSport suspends figure skating coach Ross Miner for sexual harassment

Ross Miner, a U.S. figure skating coach and retired skater, was suspended for six months by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for sexual harassment.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Colonel Green]

Hopefully the six month suspension reflects a case where the victim wasn't left with serious lasting harm rather than an egregious case given a too-light sentence. Though given how lightly Zimmerman and Fontana got off for actions I think warranted a permanent ban on coaching, there’s maybe not much to base that on.

Regardless, what a disappointment from Ross.

 

[misskarne]

It's actually more punishment than Fontana got. I can't decide if this is just further proof that SafeSport were inexplicably soft and pathetic on Fontana, or worried that it means that what Miner did is somehow worse.