A 2012 Olympian and world swimming champion is alleging she was sexually assaulted by former USA Swimming national team coach Sean Hutchison.
Ariana Kukors, who’s 28, told law enforcement Hutchison sexually assaulted her when she was 16, The Orange County Register reported.
She said Hutchison continued to have sexual contact with her until she was 24, according to the publication.
{mosads}The Register reported that Department of Homeland Security agents and Des Moines, Wash., police officials searched Hutchison’s apartment near Seattle. Computers and cellphones were seized, a person familiar with the investigation told the publication.
“I never thought I would share my story because, in so many ways, just surviving was enough,” Kukors told the Register.
“I was able to leave a horrible monster and build a life I could have never imagined for myself. But in time, I’ve realized that stories like my own are too important to go unwritten.”
Kukors said she is sharing her story “for the little girls and boys whose lives and future hangs in the grasp of a horribly powerful and manipulative person.”
“That they may not have to go through the same pain, trauma, horror, and abuse,” she said.
“That their parents, mentors, and guardians are better able to spot the signs of grooming and realize its tragic consequences before it’s too late.”
In recent months, multiple public officials have faced allegations of sexual harassment and assault. Public figures have lost their jobs or faced consequences after being accused of sexual misconduct.
Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to an effective life prison sentence after being accused by more than 250 women and girls of sexual abuse and found guilty by the court.