A youth motivational speaker is no longer facing federal charges after prosecutors moved to dismiss a case accusing him of soliciting a 16-year-old girl for sex in a hotel room.
In April, federal prosecutors asked the court to dismiss the indictment and superseding indictment against Jimmie Gardner. In the filing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry wrote that the government no longer believed it could secure a conviction after the teenager admitted she lied to investigators about her involvement with Gardner.
Ahead of trial, the girl informed prosecutors she had told Gardner she was over 18 years old, not 16, at the time of their alleged encounter.
“Based on the victim’s recent change in testimony, admission that she lied during three recorded interviews, and other inconsistencies, the Government is unable to prove the offense of sex trafficking of a minor charged in the indictment,” the prosecutor’s filing with the court states.
On April 17, U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell granted the government’s request and dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning the charges cannot be refiled.
Gardner, a former Chicago Cubs draft pick, played four seasons in minor league baseball and studied business management in Tampa while in the league. He later became an advocate for the wrongfully imprisoned and spoke publicly about social justice issues.
Trafficking charges dropped against youth motivational speaker.
