A Charlottesville-based bodybuilding coach is facing multiple charges.
A well-known bodybuilding coach in Charlottesville, VA has bee indicted on child exploitation charges after allegedly persuading minors to send him inappropriate videos.
Elliot Atwell, a prominent trainer to male bodybuilders and fitness models, has built a reputation for himself working virtually with many clients around the country. In a May 24 indictment, which was unsealed on Tuesday, he has been charged with four counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, one count of enticing a minor for the purposing of engaging in sexual activity, and one count of possessing child pornography.
This is not the first time that Atwell has been accused of behavior such as this. There have been multiple complaints on social media about Atwell’s behavior. Many screenshots of alleged conversations with clients show Atwell asking for sexually explicit videos and photos.
The Daily Progress shared quotes from a statement made by the U.S. Attorney on Tuesday.
“Between December 2013 and April 2020, Atwell enticed at least six minors to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct and then send the recordings to him,” according to a Tuesday statement from U.S. Attorney Christopher Kavanaugh of the Western District of Virginia and FBI special agent Stanley M. Meador.
Atwell has worked with many bodybuilders and models and this seems to be a pattern of behavior. In 2020, Atwell was arrested and charged after sending a 16-year-old male enhancement pills.
A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia made a statement on the 2020 incident:
“In March 2020, a 16-year-old juvenile living in New Jersey told investigators that Atwell sent him a package containing ‘Viagra’ in the mail. Atwell told the juvenile the medication he was sending would cause him to have erections that would last for hours and would allow him to have sex ‘like a porn star.’”
Three years ago, bodybuilding YouTuber Greg Doucette highlighted the scandal and accusations made against Elliott Atwell – and broke it down in a 15 minute YouTube video. You can see his discussion covering the news below:
The FBI is now handling the case involving the bodybuilding coach, acceding to the Department of Justice’s announcement on Tuesday. The investigation remains ongoing.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
