Peters Banned From Coaching Because of Sex Abuse Allegations

Former Olympic gymnastics coach Don Peters has been barred for life from coaching by the United States of America Gymnastics (USAG) governing body after two former athletes came recently came forward with stories of sexual abuse in the mid-1980s. Peters was the official head coach of the 1984 womens' Olympic gymnastics team, which included gold-medal winning Mary Lou Retton. Peters had also been a long-time coach at SCATS Gymnastics in Huntington Beach, California, which has produced 13 Olympians and 59 national team members. Former gymnast Doe Yamashiro told the Orange County Register in September that Peters had fondled her back in the mid-1980s when she was just 16 years old and that she had had intercourse with Peters when she was 17. A second woman, who asked to remain unnamed, also told the Orange County Register that Peters had had sex with her in 1985 when she was 18. Because the statute of limitations had expired, allegations of sexual abuse against Peters cannot be criminally prosecuted. However, a disciplinary hearing from USA Gymnastics not only deemed Peters "permanently ineligible" to coach other gymnasts, but it also removed him from the nation's Gymnastics Hall Of Fame earlier this month.

Peters' case is a prime example of how even allegations of sex crimes can ruin a person's life. Peters did not even have the chance to defend himself in a court of law, but was still banned from coaching for life over claims that may or may not have been true. If you have been accused of a sexual abuse or a sex crime, you need an experienced Los Angeles Sex Crime Defense Attorney immediately. The right Los Angeles Sex Crime Defense Attorney can help you not only avoid jail or prison time, but potentially preserve your reputation by vigorously defending you. At Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP, our attorneys have over five decades of combined experience in defending people like you against sex crime charges of all types and we know how to provide the aggressive and exact defense you need at this difficult time in your life. A thorough Los Angeles Sex Crime Defense Attorney will go over every detail of your case, both with you and, if necessary, our own private investigator to make sure evidence against you was gathered in a fair manner. An experienced Los Angeles Sex Crime Defense Attorney knows that if the police did not do their job correctly, significant pieces of evidence against you may not be usable in a court of law, and charges against you can be reduced or even dropped as a result. Call the attorneys at Kestenbaum, Eisner & Gorin, LLP today at 1-877-781-1570 to speak to a Los Angeles Sex Crime Defense Attorney about your case.