USA Gymnastics national teams manager Amy White, on the orders of then USA Gymnastics chief executive officer Steve Penny, removed several boxes of medical records and other documents relevant to the Larry Nassar investigation from the Karolyi Ranch in central Texas in November 2016, according to documents obtained by the Southern California News Group.

Rhonda Faehn, former USA Gymnastics vice president for the women’s program, said in a sworn deposition that White in March confided to her that Penny called her and told her to remove records from the Karolyi Ranch and transport them to USA Gymnastics headquarters in Indianapolis.

White told Faehn that after returning to the headquarters “she gave them to Steve Penny,” Faehn said referring to the medical records.

White was assisted in removing the documents by Gary Warren, who ran the Karolyi Ranch for USA Gymnastics.

White asserted her Fifth Amendment right against self incrimination at least 130 times in a November 13 deposition in Olympic champion Aly Raisman’s federal lawsuit against USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee, Nassar and several other top USA Gymnastics officials and coaches. The deposition is part of more than 1,000 pages of documents including deposition transcripts, emails, letters, memos, contracts related to the Raisman suit that provide a roadmap of the steps USA Gymnastics officials took to keep Nassar’s abuse and its extent from authorities and the public.

The documents also highlight that top USA Gymnastics officials were aware and concerned about sexual abuse within the sport for decades and how later the organization’s top medical officer failed to report Nassar, even after she witnessed his abuse first hand.

Former USA Gymnastics president Kathy Scanlan said in a deposition that she was made aware of child sexual abuse cases within months of her hiring in 1994 and viewed the issue a “serious threat” to young gymnasts. Debbie Van Horn, then USA Gymnastics director of sports medicine services, witnessed Nassar insert his ungloved hand into the vagina of a young gymnast in January 2012 but did not report him to authorities, according to a court filing. Van Horn was charged with second degree child sexual assault in Walker County, Texas earlier this year. The Karolyi Ranch is located in Walker County. Van Horn has pled not guilty.

Raisman, a three-time Olympic gold medalist, alleges Nassar, the longtime U.S. Olympic and USA Gymnastics women’s national team physician, repeatedly sexually abused her between 2010 and 2012 while she trained and competed for Team USA at major competitions like the Olympic Games, World Championships and the 2012 Olympic Trials in San Jose.

Penny was arrested last month after a Texas grand jury indicted him on felony evidence tampering charges. The indictment alleges Penny ordered the removal of documents from the Karolyi Ranch related to Nassar’s activities.

“The indictment further alleges that the removal of the documents was done for the purpose of impairing the ongoing investigation by destroying or hiding the documents,” according to the Walker County, Texas District Attorney’s office.

Penny has denied any wrongdoing.

The USOC began proceedings earlier this month to strip USA Gymnastics of its national governing body status. USA Gymnastics board of directors informed the USOC on Monday that it is opposed to the move.

USOC board chairman Larry Probst was asked in a deposition “whether a USOC employee should report information received about childhood sexual abuse to law enforcement”?

“I suspect that would be one approach that could be taken,” Probst said according to court documents.

Probst later added, according to the documents, “I think it depends on the circumstances.”

Nassar is serving a 60-year federal prison sentence on child pornography charges. He was also sentenced in Ingham County, Michigan, last January to 40 to 175 years for child sexual assault and 40-125 years in Eaton County, Michigan, on similar charges in February.

White told Faehn “that she was (at the Karolyi Ranch) for a (national team) camp and that Steve Penny had called her…(and) asked her to bring back any — anything — any records or medical information from the Ranch,” Faehn said in the deposition.

Did she tell you how she did it, Faehn was asked.

“Yes.”

“What’d she say?” an attorney asked Faehn.

“She said she — that he asked her to go to Target and buy — or somewhere and buy a large suitcase. And she filled the suitcase, as well as, she, I believe, that Gary Warren brought some boxes from a shed or… And she took those to the airport after the camp was over.”

Faehn said Warren confirmed that he helped White remove the documents.

“He said yes, he gave her everything,” Faehn said.

Penny ordered the documents removed after Texas Rangers investigators seeking medical records and other potential evidence related to their investigation of Nassar were turned away from the Karolyi Ranch by employees, according to court documents. Rangers investigators were told they could not search the ranch without a subpoena.

White took the Fifth when asked if U.S. national team director Martha Karolyi helped her search for the records, if former U.S. Olympic coach Bela Karolyi called her after Texas Rangers investigators arrived at the ranch and whether documents were destroyed at the ranch or after they were delivered to USA Gymnastics headquarters, according to a transcript of White’s deposition.

White was out of the office and unavailable on Wednesday because of a family emergency according to an email response to a request for comment.

Faehn said she first learned of the removal of the records from the Karolyi Ranch when she was contacted by an Southern California News Group reporter in March about whether she had removed them. Faehn said she did not know the documents had been removed, and did not remove them herself. After speaking to at least two USA Gymnastics officials, she was told White had removed the documents. White and Warren then confirmed the removal.

Faehn said she then told then USA Gymnastics CEO Kerry Perry. Perry was hired in December to replace Penny who was forced out under pressure from the USOC in March 2017.

Faehn was asked what Perry’s reaction was.

“She said oh, that’s not good,” Faehn recalled.

But Faehn said no one from USA Gymnastics or an attorney representing the organization contacted her after her conversation with Perry about the records removal.

Perry was forced to resign under pressure from the USOC in September.

The documents also raise further questions about the FBI’s role in the alleged cover-up of Nassar’s sexual abuse, although they do not explain why Nassar was not arrested until 18 months after the FBI was made aware of sexual abuse allegations against him.

Penny consulted with W. “Jay” Abbott , the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis office as early as July 2015, a month after Penny was first informed of allegations that Nassar had sexually assaulted gymnast Maggie Nichols at a U.S. national team training camp at the Karolyi Ranch.

Nassar was arrested in December 2016, after federal agents found more than 37,000 images of child pornography on his computer including a video of him molesting an underage girl.

“I heard Mr. Abbott say several times during the course of the July 28th (2015) meeting that they did not want USA Gymnastics or any of its personnel to take any action that would interfere with their investigation that they were going to launch based upon our report,” Paul Parilla, the former USA Gymnastics board director, said in a deposition.

Parilla was asked if USA Gymnastics officials told the FBI that Nassar continued to treat young athletes at the Michigan State University sports medicine clinic and Twistars, a Michigan gymnastics club. Parilla said he was unaware at the time that Nassar saw athletes at Twistars.

“What we told the FBI,” Parilla answered, “that — that he had — after we received the — the June 2015 inquiry about an athlete’s concern between then and July 28th, that Dr. Nassar had not performed any services for USA Gymnastics.”

In an email on July 29, 2015, the day after USA Gymnastics officials met with Abbott, Penny wrote to the agent “Below are two pieces of our communication strategy moving forward. We wanted to share them with you for your quick review to be sure they are consistent with FBI preferences. Please let us know if you concur with our messaging.” Parilla, an Orange County attorney, and Scott Himsel, an attorney representing USA Gymnastics, were copied on the email.

Abbott replied to Penny later that day “certainly respond as you deem appropriate.”

A day later Penny emailed Abbott again.“I am so sorry to continue bothering you with this issue. … As you can see below, we have a very squirmy Dr. Nassar. Our biggest concern is how we contain him from sending shockwaves through the community. In our conversations with Scott, we are trying to make sure any correspondence with him is consistent with FBI protocol. Right now we are looking for a graceful way to end his service in such a manner that he does not ‘chase the story.’”

Penny later wrote in an e-mail to Larry Buendorf, the USOC’s chief security officer, that he knew an FBI agent in the Indianapolis office who was a “great guy” and would be a good fit to replace Buendorf, who was retiring, at the USOC.

The documents related to the Raisman case also detail an earlier move by the USOC to begin a process to decertify USA Gymnastics.s Related Articles Adam Schmidt reaches settlement with ice rink in Richard Callaghan sex abuse case

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2028 Olympic logos released for games in Los Angeles Former USA Gymnastics president Robert Colarossi detailed in an August 2017 deposition how USOC officials first planned to decertify USA Gymnastics in 1999. The USOC move then was in response to a USA Gymnastics plan to suspend members facing allegations of misconduct until an investigation of those allegations was completed. USOC officials said the USA Gymnastics plan violated the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act, passed by Congress in 1978.

Colarossi recalled in the deposition that he was informed of the USOC’s move against USA Gymnastics by then USOC president William Hybl during a meeting in Colorado Springs. The USOC headquarters are located in Colorado Springs. Scott Blackmun, then USOC general counsel, was present during the conversation, Colarossi said. Blackmun was named USOC CEO in January 2010. He resigned in February against the backdrop of the Nassar controversy and a sex abuse scandal within USA Swimming.

“Bill (Hybl) said — he pulled me aside and said, ‘Membership and credentials (committee) are going to make a motion tomorrow to decertify USA Gymnastics,’” Colarossi recalled in the deposition. “And I said to Bill, ‘If you want to have a conversation about being — you know, about not letting us enforce what we think is a really important thing to be able to protect our athletes, and you want to have that conversation in front of God, country, and the national media, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.’ And Bill turned to Scott Blackmun and said, ‘Scott, you need to get this resolved tonight so that membership and credentials will withdraw their motion to decertify us.’”