Coach hid camera in gymnast’s hotel room to make child porn, feds in Utah say
A Utah gymnastics coach hid a camera in the hotel room and bathroom of one of his gymnasts during trips in order to “produce child sexual abuse material,” federal prosecutors said.
Adam Richard Jacobs, 34, of Woods Cross, placed the camera on trips out of state, including to Florida and Texas, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah said in a Feb. 6 news release.
Jacobs, described as the owner of USA Gymnastics World, pleaded guilty in federal court to transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, prosecutors said.
He’s scheduled for sentencing in August.
His attorney, Andrew Deesing, said in a Feb. 6 email to McClatchy News that Jacobs “has accepted responsibility for the things that he has done. He feels deep remorse for the pain he has caused not only the victims in the case but also to people in his own life.”
Jacobs also pleaded guilty in state court to 15 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and two counts of voyeurism, “accepting responsibility for his actions” in Utah, Deesing said.
Prosecutors first announced federal charges against Jacobs in 2023, after a USA Gymnastics World employee twice found a hidden camera in a gym bathroom and got in touch with police, according to a news release at the time. Investigators found about 120 video files of people in the bathroom, including at least one toddler, and they also found video showing Jacobs setting up the cameras, prosecutors said.
Two federal counts are to be dropped under Jacobs’ plea agreement, according to a court filing.
USA Gymnastics World now appears to be permanently closed.
Woods Cross is about a 10-mile drive north from Salt Lake City.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Coach hid camera in gymnast’s hotel room to make child porn, feds in Utah say."
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