Former Irish swimming coach George Gibney; and US journalist Irvin Muchnik

Over the Christmas break, American journalist Irvin Muchnick published a series of articles in which he reviewed his coverage of former Irish swimming coach George Gibney.

Gibney was charged with 27 counts of indecency against young swimmers and of carnal knowledge of girls under the age of 15 in April, 1993 – but sought and won a High Court judicial review in 1994 which quashed all the charges against him.

Gibney subsequently left Ireland, first for Scotland, and then America where he remains today.

During the Christmas break, Mr Muchnick posted four articles on December 27, December 29, December 30 and December 31.

At the outset of this series, Mr Muchnick explained the timing of the articles, saying:

Well-placed sources on both sides of the Atlantic are telling me that there is, at long last, real behind-the-scenes movement.

Whatever might be happening in Ireland is important enough; I’m told I’ll have reportable details soon. But what would be the real game-changer is happening in the US, where there is a quiet and overdue revisit of Gibney’s permanent alien residency privileges.

Mysteriously, the smooth sailing of Gibney’s green card has persisted since the mid-1990s. Most perversely, his status has remained undisturbed even since 2010, the year his application for naturalized citizenship got rejected on the grounds of his concealment of his 1993 indictment in Ireland on 27 counts of indecent carnal knowledge of minors.”

Further to this…

Last night, Mr Muchnick reported:

“I have learned that the Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump is poised make some kind of move that the US authorities have ducked for decades.”

Mr Muchnick has not specifically reported what this “move” may be.

But he has recalled a number of matters which may be considered, namely:

Gibney lying in his 2010 US citizen application by not disclosing he had been previously charged in Ireland but this having no evident consequences for his green card residence status.

Gibney’s alleged rape and, as a consequence, impregnation of a then 17-year-old Irish girl in Tampa, Florida, during a training trip, and how the office of the state attorney of Hillsborough County, Florida Andrew H Warren told Mr Muchnick a prosecution of a rape committed in 1991 would not necessarily be barred by the statute of limitations.

Independent TD Maureen O’Sullivan’s work with US Congresswoman Jackie Speier and Ms Speier telling Ms O’Sullivan that she would raise the citizen application issue with the House Judiciary Committee.

And the US Center for SafeSport’s investigation of Gibney – after a complaint was made to the entity by Ms O’Sullivan in relation to the Tampa rape allegation and Gibney’s time as a coach at USA Swimming-sanctioned North Jeffco swim club in the Denver suburb of Arvada, Colorado, after he arrived in the US.

Read in full here: George Gibney 2019: Identifying Where Irish and Americans — Law Enforcement Agencies, Government and Other Officials — Need to Interact (ConcussionInc.net)

Previously: George Gibney on Broadsheet

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