A Moment Of Accountability In Lansing
February 25, 2021 1:52 PM Subscribe
As part of her investigation into the abuses of Larry Nassar, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has announced charges of human trafficking, racketeering, lying to police, and sexual assault against John Geddert, the owner and operator of the Twistars gym where Nassar abused many of his victims. (cw: abuse, suicide)
While Geddert initially said that he would surrender to authorities, state officials have reported that Geddert has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Nassar case previously.
While Geddert initially said that he would surrender to authorities, state officials have reported that Geddert has been found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Nassar case previously.
Also, 16 human trafficking charges? Is this a case of "prosecutors stack up everything that looks like a felony if you squint"? Or am i just missing a very big part of the story? What is going on here??
posted by scruffy-looking nerfherder at 2:13 PM on February 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by scruffy-looking nerfherder at 2:13 PM on February 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
It's worth noting that of the charges Nessel filed, only one - the lying to the police - was directly related to Nassar. All the others - the trafficking, the sexual abuse, the racketeering - were purely based on his own behavior.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:14 PM on February 25, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:14 PM on February 25, 2021 [8 favorites]
Also, 16 human trafficking charges? Is this a case of "prosecutors stack up everything that looks like a felony if you squint"? Or am i just missing a very big part of the story?
Geddert had a history of abusing the athletes he coached - one example was he forced a gymnast who ate French fries to vomit them up, rubbed her face in the vomitus, then had her clean it up. They're using the trafficking charges because of the "forced labor causing injury" aspect.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:17 PM on February 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
Geddert had a history of abusing the athletes he coached - one example was he forced a gymnast who ate French fries to vomit them up, rubbed her face in the vomitus, then had her clean it up. They're using the trafficking charges because of the "forced labor causing injury" aspect.
posted by NoxAeternum at 2:17 PM on February 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
If he was recruiting girls to come under Nassar’s wing, knowing full well what Nassar would do with them, that could be construed as “human trafficking.”
posted by Thorzdad at 2:18 PM on February 25, 2021 [10 favorites]
posted by Thorzdad at 2:18 PM on February 25, 2021 [10 favorites]
Cocytus for sure.
posted by benzenedream at 2:24 PM on February 25, 2021
posted by benzenedream at 2:24 PM on February 25, 2021
Whaaat? I saw the news about the charges against him earlier today, but his suicide is a surprise. It makes me wonder if the investigation uncovered some sort of bombshell of even more shockingly awful shit than the abuse that people have already disclosed.
posted by desuetude at 2:53 PM on February 25, 2021
posted by desuetude at 2:53 PM on February 25, 2021
From the links:
One of them, McKayla Maroney, says she told Geddert back in 2011 that Nassar had abused her, but that Geddert didn’t take any action.
USA Gymnastics suspended him in 2018; after Nassar was convicted. This is what Geddert said when he retired from the gym after this suspension:
“Everything about our work is about safe, successful gymnastics. That’s why I am so incredibly disappointed in USA Gymnastics’ recent letter and its false allegations that I have violated Safe Sport Policy,” the letter reads.
This is so reminiscent of the Penn State scandal and the Catholic Church scandal. So many in positions of authority knew and did not only nothing; but actively covered it and most infuriatingly; allowed the abuse to continue. The coverup is horrendous enough. But how the hell do they justify to themselves letting the abuse continue?
posted by indianbadger1 at 3:01 PM on February 25, 2021 [12 favorites]
One of them, McKayla Maroney, says she told Geddert back in 2011 that Nassar had abused her, but that Geddert didn’t take any action.
USA Gymnastics suspended him in 2018; after Nassar was convicted. This is what Geddert said when he retired from the gym after this suspension:
“Everything about our work is about safe, successful gymnastics. That’s why I am so incredibly disappointed in USA Gymnastics’ recent letter and its false allegations that I have violated Safe Sport Policy,” the letter reads.
This is so reminiscent of the Penn State scandal and the Catholic Church scandal. So many in positions of authority knew and did not only nothing; but actively covered it and most infuriatingly; allowed the abuse to continue. The coverup is horrendous enough. But how the hell do they justify to themselves letting the abuse continue?
posted by indianbadger1 at 3:01 PM on February 25, 2021 [12 favorites]
But how the hell do they justify to themselves letting the abuse continue?
Because they don't see it as abuse. They see it as tough love, as doing right by their charges. And sure, parents complain, but parents are always going to complain. I bet that was Geddert's internal narrative throughout this.
But it turns out that the state's highest law enforcement officer publicly stating "no, you are an abusive monster, in these specific ways, and I intend to use the power invested in my position to hold you accountable (also, I'll be sending agents of the state to arrest you as part of that)" has the power to punch through that sort of internal narrative.
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:12 PM on February 25, 2021 [15 favorites]
Because they don't see it as abuse. They see it as tough love, as doing right by their charges. And sure, parents complain, but parents are always going to complain. I bet that was Geddert's internal narrative throughout this.
But it turns out that the state's highest law enforcement officer publicly stating "no, you are an abusive monster, in these specific ways, and I intend to use the power invested in my position to hold you accountable (also, I'll be sending agents of the state to arrest you as part of that)" has the power to punch through that sort of internal narrative.
posted by NoxAeternum at 3:12 PM on February 25, 2021 [15 favorites]
Geddert was a coward and a monster. His dodging of consequences is of a piece with a life lived harming young women for the glorification of his own ego. May his crimes be laid bare and may his name be disgraced and forgotten.
My love to all the survivors.
posted by minervous at 4:00 PM on February 25, 2021 [19 favorites]
My love to all the survivors.
posted by minervous at 4:00 PM on February 25, 2021 [19 favorites]
Also, 16 human trafficking charges? Is this a case of "prosecutors stack up everything that looks like a felony if you squint"?
I was listening to the human trafficking episode of the podcast You're Wrong About recently, and it sounds like many crimes or abuse situations have been subsumed under trafficking laws in the US, which have become incredibly broad.
One thing that I'm sure has been considered is that the people involved with this weren't all just in the neighborhood--the Karolyis' ranch/training center was in Texas, way out in the fucking boonies, so the athletes had no recourse to get out (and they were not allowed phones and other "distractions" or to be in regular contact with their families), and these monsters traveled with the teams to competitions, etc. I imagine the paperwork took into account that the abuse was a very interconnected web.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:25 PM on February 25, 2021 [7 favorites]
I was listening to the human trafficking episode of the podcast You're Wrong About recently, and it sounds like many crimes or abuse situations have been subsumed under trafficking laws in the US, which have become incredibly broad.
One thing that I'm sure has been considered is that the people involved with this weren't all just in the neighborhood--the Karolyis' ranch/training center was in Texas, way out in the fucking boonies, so the athletes had no recourse to get out (and they were not allowed phones and other "distractions" or to be in regular contact with their families), and these monsters traveled with the teams to competitions, etc. I imagine the paperwork took into account that the abuse was a very interconnected web.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 4:25 PM on February 25, 2021 [7 favorites]
I was listening to the human trafficking episode of the podcast You're Wrong About recently, and it sounds like many crimes or abuse situations have been subsumed under trafficking laws in the US, which have become incredibly broad.
More to the point, Nessel was looking to use the coerced labor aspect of the charge to rein in abuse by coaches.
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:48 AM on February 26, 2021
More to the point, Nessel was looking to use the coerced labor aspect of the charge to rein in abuse by coaches.
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:48 AM on February 26, 2021
There's often a disconcerting, and sometimes deliberate tendency to blur the lines between the concepts of "human trafficking," "sexual abuse," and "sex trafficking." And each of those concepts has blurry lines around their outsides as well.
The concept of "human trafficking" I was familiar with was, essentially, indentured (as opposed to chattel) slavery: effectively imprisoning someone in a system to exploit their labor. This gets stereotyped as poor foriegn workers, shipped into a country and isolated form contact with potential support networks like friends and family, and forced to work under illegal conditions. When this gets covered in tabloids, the work is always sex work, not meatpacking or sewing or manufacturing.
I'm still trying to understand how using "human trafficking" in this scenario plays out in the long run. Will it be used consistently to go after abusive programs like this one? Will it be used more broadly in labor violations? Will it be used as a convenient catchall in stacking charges for plea deals in largely-unrelated cases?
posted by pykrete jungle at 8:08 AM on February 26, 2021
The concept of "human trafficking" I was familiar with was, essentially, indentured (as opposed to chattel) slavery: effectively imprisoning someone in a system to exploit their labor. This gets stereotyped as poor foriegn workers, shipped into a country and isolated form contact with potential support networks like friends and family, and forced to work under illegal conditions. When this gets covered in tabloids, the work is always sex work, not meatpacking or sewing or manufacturing.
I'm still trying to understand how using "human trafficking" in this scenario plays out in the long run. Will it be used consistently to go after abusive programs like this one? Will it be used more broadly in labor violations? Will it be used as a convenient catchall in stacking charges for plea deals in largely-unrelated cases?
posted by pykrete jungle at 8:08 AM on February 26, 2021
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I watched The Price of Gold, the HBO documentary on the Larry Nassar case, and I remember one of the survivors, when asked to describe who John Geddert is, just replied, "John Geddert is Satan." And went on to describe an emotionally abusive coach who withheld praise and bullied his athletes, along with turning a blind eye to Larry Nassar's abuse. Thinking of the survivors today. This must be a very painful day for them.
posted by scruffy-looking nerfherder at 2:10 PM on February 25, 2021