Bend Gymnastics Coach Richard Gustafson Found Guilty of Sexually Abusing Young Girls

According to a Bend Bulletin article by Claire Withycombe, former Acrovision Sports Center gymnastics academy co-owner and coach, Richard Gustafson, was found guilty on 11 counts of sexually abusing young girls aged 8 to 10 years old who attended holiday sleepovers at his gym.

In addition to the 11 counts, Deschutes County Judge Wells Ashby also convicted the 49 year-old Gustafson on 20 counts of possession and distribution of child pornography, as well as possession of cocaine.

KTVZ News reports that the “minimum sentence on each sex abuse conviction is 75 months (over six years), so he could face from 31 to nearly 70 years on those counts alone, depending on if the judge makes some consecutive or concurrent.”

In court, prosecutors called him “a man who has a sick, sexualized interest in children, who watches sadistic images of children being sexually abused.”

If you have any information about abuse by Gustafson or another coach at Acrovision Sports Center, we would like to talk to you on a confidential basis.  Please contact us toll-free at 888-407-0224, or email us.