Ivan Lee, an esteemed Hall-of-Fame fencer and former board chair of USA Fencing, has acknowledged his guilt by pleading guilty to a charge of sexual abuse in the third degree and a charge of forcible touching. These charges were made public through court documents in New York.

Both offenses are categorized as misdemeanors and reportedly occurred in 2023 against a female college fencer whom Lee coached, as stated by the victim’s lawyer, Jack Wiener.

Lee entered his guilty pleas Wednesday at Nassau County District Court in New York, coinciding with the scheduled start of a jury trial.

At the Kings Criminal Court in Brooklyn, Lee also pleaded guilty on Sept. 3 to a charge of forcible touching and a violation for second-degree harassment related to a separate incident with the same female fencer in 2023, per court records and the woman’s lawyer.

“She bravely confronted a powerful figure—Chairman of USA Fencing, a coach, and a former Olympian and police officer,” Wiener expressed in a statement, noting that he represented her without charge. “Her decision to come forward aims to shield others from similar experiences.”

According to USA Fencing, Lee was the first African American fencer to attain world champion status. He clinched two Division I national titles at St. John’s University, secured two gold medals at the 2003 Pan American Games, and participated in the 2004 Olympics.

In 2014, he was honored with an induction into the US Fencing Association Hall of Fame.

After being elected as the board chairman of USA Fencing in September 2023, Lee stepped down three months later following his suspension for violating the SafeSport Code. The U.S. Center for SafeSport has the responsibility of safeguarding young athletes against misconduct.

Prior to that, Lee had resigned from his role as head coach of the women’s fencing team at Long Island University earlier in the same month.

Lee served as a member of the New York City Police Department from 2008 until 2022 before concentrating on coaching the fencing teams at Long Island University. He was in the role of head coach at the time of the aforementioned incidents involving the victim, based on court documents.

On Nov. 8, 2023, while no teammates were present, Lee inappropriately touched the complainant’s chest without permission, commented on her thighs by saying something to the effect of “I love your thighs,” and began kissing her neck, according to a filing from the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

A second incident occurred on Nov. 21, when Lee took the complainant out for dinner at a seafood restaurant following practice. During this outing, he placed his hand on her chest and squeezed her breasts over her clothing without her consent, as stated in the same court filing.

“Lee has exhibited a pattern of predatory behavior towards the complainant, exploiting her vulnerability as a novice under a skilled coach,” said the court documentation.

Lee was apprehended in Kings County on February 26 regarding the first incident, and later arrested on March 21 in Nassau County in relation to the second incident.

He is slated for sentencing at Kings Criminal Court on January 14 and at Nassau County District Court on February 19. Under New York law, both sexual abuse in the third degree and forcible touching can result in a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

Wiener mentioned that the SafeSport investigation is still ongoing, having been paused after Lee faced criminal charges.

“Given the situation, I trust that SafeSport will impose a permanent ban to prevent future harm to young women,” Wiener commented.