In a temporary private area separated from the rest of the Indiana Convention Center by black drapes, USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung met on May 21 with James Cameron, president of Security Concepts Group, a Las Vegas-based firm hired by the organization to provide security at major events such as the Olympic Trials and U.S. Championships as well as national team training camps.
For months Cameron, a veteran who had earned a Bronze Star while serving in Iraq, had a series of growing concerns about athlete safety at USA Gymnastics sponsored events, national team overseas trips and training camps. But now as he met Leung at a USA Gymnastics event in Indianapolis, one matter was particularly pressing for Cameron.
Six days earlier, he had filed a report with the U.S. Center for SafeSport alleging that he and an employee had witnessed multiple incidents of coaches slapping or patting underage female gymnasts on the buttocks in front of two top USA Gymnastics officials at the Elite Challenge, a rhythmic gymnastics competition in Birmingham, Alabama, an apparent violation of both the center’s code and USA Gymnastics’ Safe Sport policy.
Under the U.S. Center for SafeSport code “A Participating Adult violates the Code by engaging in inappropriate physical contact with a Participant where there is a Power Imbalance. Such inappropriate contact includes, but is not limited to, intentionally: – touching, slapping, or otherwise contacting the buttocks or genitals of a Participant…”
The same language is repeated in the Safe Sport Policy for USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body.
Yet according to Cameron’s notes from the meeting, “Li Li responded to this by asking, ‘In what way was the coach slapping the buttocks?’ She gave the impression that one way of slapping may be acceptable. She further stated ‘some may disagree with reporting that to safe sport.’”
The meeting and Cameron’s report to the U.S. Center for SafeSport marked a shift in what would become an increasingly strained relationship between USA Gymnastics and the company it hired to protect young athletes, a rift that would eventually result in the security firm being fired in September, according to Cameron and hundreds of pages of previously undisclosed documents obtained by the Southern California News Group.
“Things turned after the SafeSport report,” Cameron said. “Everything that has happened to me is because I reported the SafeSport violations.”
Documents ranging from emails and memos, as well as reports filed with the U.S. Center for SafeSport and the national governing body’s safe sport office, show a high-level USA Gymnastics official acknowledging holes in the organization’s background check system and repeated concerns raised by Cameron and his firm that the culture of abuse within the American sport that enabled the sexual abuse committed by former U.S. Olympic and national team physician Larry Nassar continues.
The documents also reveal that USA Gymnastics chief strategy officer, chief program director and chief of staff are being investigated by the U.S. Center for SafeSport for allegedly retaliating against Cameron.
“There are still a lot of problems over there, no matter what they put in the front windows as window dressing,” Cameron said referring to USA Gymnastics, the Indianapolis-based, tax-exempt, non-profit.
Emails, memos and other documents show how USA Gymnastics officials were hesitant to hire a background firm that would alert the organization in real-time when a member had been arrested. USA Gymnastics members are currently background checked every two years.
“Does USAG’s current background check company notify USAG when a member has been arrested for any crime?” Cameron wrote in a March 12 email to Shelba Waldron, USA Gymnastics director of Safe Sport Policy and Education.
“No,” Waldron said.
“If background checks are done only every 2 years, it is possible for an incident to occur which would be a disqualifier however USAG would be unaware until the next scheduled background check,” Cameron asked.
“It has happened before,” Waldron responded.
The documents reveal Cameron and his staff’s repeated concerns about the culture within rhythmic gymnastics and what he described as USA Gymnastics’ failure to monitor it.
Cameron filed a report with the U.S. Center for SafeSport that a rhythmic coach forced a clearly injured athlete in tears to continue to train at the Birmingham competition in May.
Under the U.S. Center for SafeSport, “Physical misconduct” is defined as “any intentional contact or non-contact behavior that causes, or reasonably threatens to cause, physical harm to another person. Examples of physical misconduct may include, without limitation: a. Contact violations Punching, beating, biting, striking, strangling or slapping another; intentionally hitting another with objects, such as sporting equipment; encouraging or knowingly permitting an Athlete to return to play prematurely following a serious injury (e.g., a concussion) and without the clearance of a medical professional.”
“To me rhythmic is still in that world of suck it up and do it which opened the door for somebody like Nassar to come in and groom, ‘How are you?’ and be the nice as opposed to the mean coach,” Cameron said.
SCNG provided USA Gymnastics a detailed list of the allegations raised by Cameron.
“Athlete safety is unequivocally the top priority of the current USA Gymnastics leadership. That priority requires that our contracted security be able to enter all countries in which we compete, comply with local requirements and regulations, file formal police reports as directed when our athletes are threatened, focus exclusively on their duties, respect the privacy of athlete contact information, and follow all of our safety and security protocols,” USA Gymnastics said in a statement to SCNG. “Mr. Cameron’s job performance in 2021 made clear that he was unwilling or unable to meet these requirements.
“Mr. Cameron has deliberately mischaracterized or falsified his interactions with USAG staff, most disturbingly and intentionally regarding SafeSport. All USAG staff and contractors are mandatory reporters for SafeSport. In fact, during their conversation in Indianapolis, Li Li Leung specifically directed him to report any concerns he had directly to SafeSport – one of multiple instances where she and Lauryn Turner specifically and consistently directed him to formally file with SafeSport any instance of concern to him. Multiple USAG staff have filed SafeSport reports; it is a practice we not only encourage but require.”
After earning a Bronze Star as a sniper in combat in Iraq, Cameron was trained and employed by Blackwater, according to documents he provided SCNG, and worked with the U.S. State Department on security details for the U.S. diplomats in Iraq and Afghanistan. He later provided security for royal families in the Middle East. He opened Security Concepts in 2009. Cameron is board certified by ASIS International, an Alexandria, Virginia-based organization that sets standards and guidelines for the security industry.
USA Gymnastics hired Cameron and Security Concepts in 2017 after officials watched the firm provide security at an event in Anaheim.
Cameron was at the Elite Challenge in Birmingham on May 13 when he received a text from a female employee monitoring the rhythmic competition. The woman had “witnessed two coaches tap their athletes on the buttocks with one hand as they walked out on the performance,” according to two confidential incident reports filed with USA Gymnastics and a confidential complaint made to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
“‘Hey is ass slapping a thing?’” Cameron recalled the employee writing him.
“No, it’s not a thing,” Cameron responded to her.
“She was. ‘Oh, really because it’s happening over here,’” Cameron said in an interview. “I was OK. So I went over and I witnessed it. I witnessed it myself and I witnessed it with two or three coaches, not the same athlete, not the same coaches, so it was a kind of a cultural thing. But the slaps were hard enough that there could have been bruising.”
Cameron then sent a message to Waldron, USA Gymnastics Director of Safe Sport Education and Policy, that in his and the female employee’s “professional opinion is that the slapping and touching of the buttocks did seem innocent without any sexual context however it was still against USAG Safe Sport policy which warrants a report be created in order for Safe Sport to investigate,” according to a USA Gymnastics incident report.
“(Cameron) wanted to ensure a report was filed and not rely on USAG Staff to do so, thus the complaint will be filed on the Safe Sport website reporting portal,” the incident report continued.
Cameron said the incidents took place in front of Stefanie Korepin, USA Gymnastics chief program director, and Caroline Hunt, the organization’s senior director for the rhythmic program. Korepin, like Hunt, is a former U.S. national rhythmic team member who competed in both the World Championships and Pan American Games. Hunt was named director of the rhythmic program by then USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny in 2007.
“My concern, from my liability, that that was the only reason that I reported it was, but where it took place it was right before they competed and it was in full sight of judges, Stephanie Korepin (sic), Caroline Hunt, who was in charge of rhythmic, the audience, which would have been parents and anybody else who would have been watching,” Cameron wrote. “So it was in plain view of everybody. And the last thing I wanted was for somebody to say hey, did you see that and why didn’t security say something about it.
“Some coaches open handed, gave a good smack on the buttocks, some two handed good smack on buttocks and the result from that was the athlete would immediately get up on their tippy toes and go out and compete. It was like their training of when you get slapped on the ass, I get up on my toes and go.
“I have the SafeSport (code) and it says there is no gray area: no touching or slapping of the buttocks.”
SCNG raised Cameron’s allegation that Korepin and Hunt had witnessed the incidents with USA Gymnastics. The organization did not address the allegations in its statement.
Two days later, Cameron filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Center for SafeSport stating that he and the female Security Concepts employee had “witnessed multiple incidents of Rhythmic coaches either patting or slapping minor athletes on the buttocks prior to the athlete’s performance.”
Cameron later that day via email informed Waldron and Korepin that he had filed a complaint with the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Waldron requested a copy of the complaint in a May 17 phone call to Cameron, according to documents. Cameron complied.
Later Cameron said Annie Heffernon, USA Gymnastics vice president for the women’s program, told him “people in the office are pissed at you” for filing the reports with the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
“That’s not the policy and also isn’t that what got USAG in trouble in the first place?” Cameron recalled responding.
USA Gymnastics was asked by SCNG about the Heffernon quote. The organization did not specifically address the quote in its statement.
Cameron also detailed in the email to Waldron and Korepin an incident where a coach, according to Cameron, appeared to pressure an injured athlete to continue training.
“I also want to make you aware that the medical team had mentioned that there appeared to be signs of emotional abuse and or hazing (as defined by the USAG Safe Sport Policy) of some of the athletes by the coaches,” Cameron wrote in the email. “They mentioned that a coach (unknown of who or what club) was speaking very firmly (in language other than English) to the athletes and they (the athletes) were crying and visibly emotionally upset during the conversation. I also witnessed similar behavior (minus the athlete crying) and without understanding the language being spoken I cannot confirm what was being said. What I did witness was the body language, tone and the overall way the coach was addressing certain athletes which could have fallen into emotional abuse and or hazing again as defined by the USAG Safe Sport Policy.
“Coincidentally I spoke with a Trampoline judge regarding the judging process this morning. That conversation led to asking about different judging requirements for the different disciplines and other judge questions so I could better understand and gain knowledge on the overall scoring process. That judge stated and I will paraphrase ‘there is no way I would be a rhythmic judge because I just know there are a lot of Safe Sport violations going on over there’ I had not discussed any of the behaviors I witnessed with Rhythmic and that response was the judge just speaking plainly.”
Leung told Cameron during the May 21 meeting that she was unaware that he had filed complaints with the U.S. Center for SafeSport about the Birmingham incidents, he recalled.
“That’s hard to believe,” Cameron said. “If she didn’t know then it’s a failure on the part of her staff.”
Cameron said he also recounted the injured gymnast incident to Leung during their meeting.
“I also told her about the athlete I witnessed being injured and at no point did the coach suggest her go to medical,” Cameron wrote in his notes on the meeting. “In fact, instead the coach continued to have the athlete continue to practice.
“I further indicated that the behavior witnessed in Birmingham, AL was reminiscent of how USAG coach’s treated athletes in years past. (possible physical abuse, sexual abuse, and verbal abuse) (Multiple SCG incident reports created). I advised her that as Risk Managers it was my job to inform her and that finger of liability will point right at USAG if/when something is reported. I also stated that we document everything and will continue to report based on USAG Safe Sport Policies.”
SCNG asked USA Gymnastics if Leung recalled making the comments Cameron said she had made in the May 21 meeting. The organization did not specifically address the comments in its response for the article.
Cameron also met U.S. Center for SafeSport CEO Ju’Riese Colon that same day in Indianapolis. In the meeting and in a follow-up email to Colon on May 24, Cameron reviewed the Birmingham incidents and his concerns about what he said was a lack of supervision of the rhythmic program.
“From my perspective the USAG Executive Team cannot verify this behavior is not happening,” Cameron wrote in the email. “As I mentioned to my knowledge there currently there is no one observing this discipline who would be considered a non-bias third party.”
In the ensuing weeks, Cameron said he was left out of meetings involving security and staffing, walk-throughs at venues for USA Gymnastics events, and left off national team international trips.
Cameron also had a series of heated exchanges with Debbie Shon, USA Gymnastics chief strategy officer, over his response to derogatory comments about Tevin Biles-Thomas, Simone Biles’ brother, made on the Olympic champion’s social media platforms shortly before the Olympic Trials in St. Louis last June. The comments were made after Biles-Thomas was acquitted on murder charges in a fatal shooting in which three people were killed at a 2018 New Year’s Eve party.
“Hope someone does the same thing to your child. Your brothers karma is coming after your whole family,” read one tweet.
Others were similar.
Shon demanded Cameron file a report with the St. Louis Police Department.
“When a client in the chain of command asks you – clearly and unequivocally – to perform a task related to security, you are to perform that task,” Shon wrote in a June 21 email to Cameron.
“I explained (to Shon) steps I was taking to make sure (Simone Biles) had a safe arrival and that I could not file a police report,” Cameron said in an interview.
“In my professional opinion they did not pose a direct threat to Simone or her family however I did notify local law enforcement, the local FBI Special Agent in Charge, head of venue security and airport security.
“Debbie Shon was demanding that I file a police report which I tried to explain to her I could not since no crime was committed, I am not the victim and I am not an officer of USAG. She then stated she would take that as a refusal to do my job which is simply not true…
“I have never discounted any threats to USAG, athletes, coaches, vendors, parents or partners. In fact I often get contacted in regards to stalkers, letters and gifts from athletes and former athletes.”
The tone of Shon’s emails prompted Cameron to contact his attorney, he said.
“They’re setting me up now. She was trying to set me up to state that I wasn’t doing my job,” Cameron recalled telling the attorney, referring to USA Gymnastics and Shon.
Cameron filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Center for SafeSport on July 15, alleging that USA Gymnastics officials were retaliating against him for reporting the Birmingham incidents to the center.
The complaint specifically names Korepin, Shon and Lauryn Turner, USA Gymnastics chief of staff.
Under the U.S. Center for SafeSport code, “Retaliation against anyone for engaging in the Center’s processes is prohibited.”
“A Participant, someone acting on behalf of a Participant, an NGB, LAO, the USOPC or any organization under the Center’s jurisdiction shall not take an adverse action against any person for making a good faith report of a possible Code violation to the Center or other relevant organization as identified herein or for participating in any process under this Code. Retaliation includes threatening, intimidating, harassing, coercing or any other conduct that would discourage a reasonable person from engaging or participating in the Center’s processes when the action is reasonably related to the report or engagement with the Center. Retaliation may be present even where there is a finding that no violation occurred.
Dennis O. Evans, a U.S. Center for SafeSport’s support manager for response and resolution, told Cameron in a Sept. 10 email the case had been assigned an investigator.
By that time, Cameron had been given notice that his services were going to be terminated. He received an email from Turner on Sept. 2 informing him of the organization’s decision.
“Thank you for SCG’s previous services,” Turner wrote. “While we appreciate the support, please note that USAG has decided to move in another direction. …. please consider this USA Gymnastics’ written thirty-day notice to terminate.”
A week later Cameron received a letter from Christopher J. Schneider, an attorney for Miller Johnson, a Michigan law firm retained by USA Gymnastics.
“USAG did not terminate SCG’s contract because of any Safe Sport report. USAG terminated SCG’s contract because of substantial concerns with SCG’s performance, including concerns regarding your behavior, lack of candor and creditability (sic), and conflict of interests. In multiple encounters, your tone and demeanor, including your numerous emails chastising USAG for modifying travel and coverage were unwarranted, unnecessary, and unprofessional,” Schneider wrote. “Moreover, you failed to act with standard safety protocol regarding a credible threat made against one of USAG’s athletes and her family. Furthermore, you were not forthcoming and dismissive when asked to confirm with local law enforcement and you failed to timely advise local authorities of the threat. You also stated to USAG executives that you worked at the U.S. Department Diplomatic Security Services, however Department personnel records do not reflect your name or social security number as an employee with DSS or any part thereof. Lastly, in the recent months, your focus while on the job has been less about the safety of our athletes and more about the need to engage with prospective clients. This is unprofessional and diverted your attention away from the work you should have been doing for USAG.”
Cameron denied that he misled USA Gymnastics about his role with the State Department.
“I never stated to USAG I was employed directly to the U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Services,” Cameron said in an email. “I did however state I worked for them, which I did as a contractor for both Blackwater USA and Triple Canopy in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I worked directly under DoS in that role and capacity.”
Documents provided SCNG by Cameron indicate he was trained and employed by Blackwater and was part of private firms that provided security to U.S. officials in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cameron received a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for “courageously” protecting the U.S. ambassadors to Iraq as well as Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as well as other diplomats and dignitaries during trips to the region.
In its statement to SCNG, USA Gymnastics said, “Any accusation or assumption that his termination was for any reason other than those related to performance is demonstrably false, as detailed in our correspondence with him and arbitration filings. Some of the most critical performance issues were the following:
“At the U.S. Gymnastics Championships June 3-6, 2021, in Ft. Worth, Mr. Cameron had several inappropriate and/or unprofessional interactions with USAG interns, athletes, and athletes’ parents. (For example, attempting to solicit employment from an athlete’s parent while on the floor and working for USAG.) We addressed these incidents with him directly.
“Mr. Cameron failed to file a formal police report with St. Louis PD when he was informed of a credible threat against an athlete and the athlete’s family leading up to the Olympic Trials (June 24-27, 2021, in St. Louis), despite several written directives from USAG to do so.
“After the Olympic Trials, he declined our request to accompany a U.S. rhythmic gymnastics delegation to an international event because he would be denied entry into the country.”
The international trip in question was to a Grand Prix event in Israel. In a July 7 email to Cameron, Korepin wrote, “I ask that you confirm as soon as possible” whether he or another Security Concepts employee “serve as the USAG security agent” for the Israel event. A Security Concepts employee accompanied the U.S. team on the trip. Cameron said he had concerns that his entry into the country would be delayed because of his previous employment in the United Arab Emirates.
“We staffed the trip,” he said.
The USA Gymnastics statement continued “Following these and other job performance issues, he was removed by USAG from the security detail for the Olympic Games.
“We notified him of termination of our contract on Sept. 2, 2021.”
In the July 7 email to Cameron, Korepin recounted that the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and State Department Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) had to USA Gymnastics that federal agents would be assigned to U.S. Olympic gymnastics teams at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. A pre-Olympic training camp in Japan was not originally included in the DSS plan, USA Gymnastics “consulted with you to provide those services,” Korepin wrote.
But on July 6, Korepin continued “however, USOPC and the DSS confirmed that DSS would provide additional security coverage for the duration of our athletes’ stay in Japan, including the pre-Games training camp. Given this confirmation, SCG services are no longer required for the Tokyo Games though we appreciate your willingness to provide them.”
The entire USA Gymnastics statement, Cameron said “all of that is blatantly false.”
If USA Gymnastics had concerns about Cameron and Security Concept’s performance they should have been raised in a performance evaluation, Cameron said.
The terms of the firm’s contract with USA Gymnastics states that “Performance Evaluation SCG’s performance shall be periodically evaluated by Client, using the SCG Performance Evaluation. Such evaluation may be used in determining the frequency in which SCG performs Work and/or Services for Client.”
Cameron said no such performance evaluation took place.
Cameron also addressed USA Gymnastics’ assertion that breached U.S. Center for SafeSport confidentiality guidelines in his handling of the Birmingham incident.
“As a matter of fact USAG’s Shelba Waldron via a phone conversation requested me to send her a copy of the Safe Sport generated report summary which I did via email sent May 17 2021 at 9:57 am,” Cameron wrote in an email. “She stated that USAG needed it for their records. If it is confidential as indicated in the legal letter received I do not believe she should have requested this document. This is a record of the incident which was reported to Safe Sport. I did speak of the incidents to others however I did not state any names of the athletes or coaches. I spoke of these issues to try and bring awareness to the violations I witnessed.”
Source: Orange County Register
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