Former US Olympian and LIU fencing coach sentenced for sex offenses
A former U.S. Olympic fencer and ex-fencing coach at Long Island University was sentenced to six years of probation this week after he pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor sex offenses.
Ivan Lee faced two cases in separate incidents — one in Brooklyn and one in Nassau County — involving the same female fencer he coached at LIU.
He was arrested in Brooklyn on Feb. 26, 2024, related to the first offense and put in cuffs again on March 21, 2024, in Nassau County.
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A criminal complaint indicated that the first incident occurred on Nov. 8, 2023, at LIU's Brooklyn campus inside a 'college gymnasium' with the same address as the campus' athletic center.
3 Head coach Ivan Lee of the Long Island Sharks reacts to a win by Laura Fekete of the Long Island Sharks during the Division I Women's Fencing Championship held at the Bryce Jordan Center on March 28, 2021 in University Park, Pennsylvania.
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
During that incident, Lee, 44, put his hands on the woman's chest without her consent and began kissing her neck while there were no teammates around.
The second incident occurred on Nov. 21, 2023, when Lee took the woman to a seafood restaurant following a practice and put his hand on the center of her chest and squeezed her breasts without consent.
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Kings County Criminal Court vacated his conditional plea to forcible touching Tuesday after Lee took part in a court-ordered treatment program, USA Today reported, and a guilty plea to harassment in the second degree was not changed.
Harassment in the second degree is a non-criminal violation in New York.
Lee was given six years of probation, and Nassau District Court ordered Lee to enroll in a program for sex offenders.
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3 Ivan Lee competing with Team USA.
AFP via Getty Images
He had pleaded guilty to one count of sexual abuse in the third degree and one count of forcible touching in that case, according to the outlet.
The woman was also given protective orders of two years and six years from the defendant, respective to each case.
Lee was inducted into the USA Fencing Hall of Fame in 2014, however, he has since lost his membership.
The U.S. Center for Safe Sport also handed down a lifetime ban to Lee that will restrict his ability to coach.
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The organization, which was set up by U.S. Congress, is tasked with protecting athletes involved in Olympic sports.
3 Fencer Ivan Lee poses for a portrait during the USOC Media Summit on May 15, 2004 at the Marriott Marquis in New York, New York.
Getty Images
An attorney for the female victim told USA Today that the court decisions will 'serve as a stark warning to those who would engage in sexual abuse in fencing — no matter who you are, there will be consequences.''
Lee was a five-time national champion, competed for the U.S. in the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics and took two gold medals at the Pan American Games in 2003. He competed collegiately at St. John's.
According to a biography on the Long Island University website, Lee was hired to coach the school's women's fencing team.
He stepped down as head coach in December 2023.
Additionally, Lee had worked for the NYPD from 2008-22.
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