Rich Fellers represented the United States at the London Olympics. Now a cold fate awaits him.
Rich Fellers was a respected figure in equestrian circles. PDO
Former Olympic athlete Rich Fellers has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing his underage student. According to the US media, a four-year prison sentence awaits the former equestrian star.
63-year-old Fellers was already arrested in 2021 on suspicion of sexual harassment. Fellers denied all the allegations at the time. However, after a two-year legal process, Fellers admits that he took advantage of the student.
Victim of a crime Maggie Kehring was 17 years old at the time of the crime. Kehring has previously spoken publicly about the matter.
At the age of 15, Kehring moved on his own so that he could be closer to the riding stable. According to him, Fellers admitted his feelings for the young rider when he was 16 years old. Fellers told Kehring about his feelings over the phone.
– You are no longer a little girl. I’m crazy about you, Fellers said on the phone, according to Kehring.
Unbelief caused difficulties
The two had sex for the first time after Kehring turned 17. The two’s sexual relationship ended about half a year later, when Fellers’ wife caught the couple in the act. Rich’s wife Shelley filed for divorce in March of this year.
Kehring says that he only realized later that Fellers was sexually exploiting him. After Kehring and Feller’s illicit relationship became public, Kehring received a lot of criticism from the equestrian community.
Kehring recalls that many within the equestrian community did not believe his story and were angry that a well-respected rider was being accused.
Rich Fellers was a respected athlete in equestrian circles before the incident. The rider represented the United States, for example, at the London Olympics in 2012.