Update (July 16, 2021): A federal judge has ruled that the mother of Team USA gymnast Jordan Chiles will be able to support her daughter from home during the Tokyo Olympics.
Gina Chiles was supposed to report to federal prison to carry out a sentence for wire fraud on July 27, the same day Jordan is slated to compete in the Olympics, the New York Post reported.
On Wednesday, a judge approved a 30-day delay so that Gina can support Jordan during the competition from her home instead of jail. Gina will now have to surrender herself to federal prison on Aug. 26, People reported.
Gina’s attorneys filed a motion on July 13 asking a judge to grant her an extension so that she could “support her daughter throughout the Olympics and for some time beyond.”
“This would give Mrs. Chiles’ daughter at least some additional time to have her mother’s emotional support and guidance during such a monumental time in her young life,” her attorney said.
Last year, Jordan’s mother pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud for embezzling more than $1 million from her clients. She owned a commercial property management business called Inspire Vision Property management, as Blavity previously reported. Initially, she faced up to 20 years in jail, however, she agreed to a plea deal and will now spend 366 days behind bars once she surrenders herself in August.
Gina’s client Karla Pearlstein is not happy with the judge’s verdict and believes she should be behind bars.
“I think it’s absolutely ridiculous,” Pearlstein told KOIN 6. “The courts have given her break after break.”
The Olympic games are slated to begin July 23 and will end on August 8.
Original (July 15, 2021): If gymnast Jordan Chiles fulfills her dream of winning a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, it will be the same day that her mother is scheduled to report to prison, Yahoo reports.
Last year, Gina Chiles pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and was sentenced to serve a term of one year and one day in federal prison.
When Gina ran Inspire Vision Property Management LLC, a commercial properties management business, she admitted to stealing from her clients, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on personal expenses, according to court documents.
Upon her release from prison, she will be ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution.
In an appearance on the Today show with the other mothers of the women’s gymnast team, Gina spoke about watching her daughter live out her dreams during one of the most difficult times that her family has faced.
"Every moment that I watch Jordan is the most amazing moment as a mom," Gina said in the interview, fighting back tears. "And so I just am looking at it as not bittersweet, but just sweet, period, that she's here."
Although her mother is facing prison time, Jordan has the full support of the other moms as well as her Olympic teammates. After almost quitting the sport three years ago, Jordan received encouragement from her superstar teammate Simone Biles, as Blavity previously reported.
“I didn’t think the sport wanted me anymore…So I went in the opposite direction,” Jordan said during an interview with The New York Times.
Biles guided Jordan back to the sport and even invited her to relocate to Texas to train with her and her coaching staff.
“I just wanted to finish high school and go off to college. But then I had a talk with Simone,” she added.
While under intense pressure to compete at the highest level and dealing with the scrutiny of the public, Jordan is set to represent her country as a favorite to capture an Olympic medal.
Gina will surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons before 2 p.m. on July 27.
