Mom of Team U.S.A. gymnast Jordan Chiles’ prison sentence delayed to support her during Olympics
The mom of Team U.S.A. gymnast Jordan Chiles has caught a break in her legal saga, thanks to her daughter competing in the Tokyo Olympics.
The prison sentence for Gina Chiles, who previously pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud, will start 30 days later than planned so she can support her daughter, 20, at the Summer Games from July 23 to Aug. 8, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, People reports.
Chiles’ lawyers requested that Jordan, of Vancouver, Wash., be allowed “some additional time to have her mother’s emotional support and guidance during such a monumental time [in] her young life,” according to a motion filed Tuesday and obtained by the magazine.
Chiles was originally set to head to federal prison the day her daughter is expected to compete for gold in the long-awaited Olympics — which were postponed last year amid the coronavirus pandemic still causing chaos worldwide, including in Japan, according to Oregon CBS affiliate KOIN.
Chiles previously admitted to stealing from clients of her commercial properties’ management business, Inspire Vision Property Management LLC, to spend hundreds of thousands on personal expenses, according to court documents obtained by KOIN.
The author of “Dream Big Little Chick,” a children’s book inspired by Jordan, owed her clients more $1.2 million, and is “somebody that has absolutely no shame,” Karla Pearlstein, who lost $945,000 after renting a Missouri property to Chiles, said, according to federal court papers obtained by the outlet.
“She is an operator,” said Pearlstein, who also helped Chiles start her company. “I mean, she was a total operator.”
Chiles has been sentenced to serve one year and one day in federal prison and has been ordered to subsequently start paying $1.2 million in restitution, according to KOIN.
