UPDATED 7:37PM: Angelo Swimmer, owner and head coach at Colorado Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu West, has been convicted of two counts of sexual assault on a student as his academy. The black belt was found guilty by a jury for submission of a victim against their will and violating a victim unable to give consent, both of which are felony offenses. Part of the evidence which convinced the jury included previous incidents involving female BJJ students and forced sexual contact while intoxicated.
Swimmer, 42, reportedly built a relationship with the victim through his school. According to local 9 News, they two met in 2017 when she began training. Over time pair became romantically involved, leading to a night in 2018 when both attended a birthday party together before returning to Swimmer’s home. Heavily intoxicated from the party, the victim reports she was “very drunk” and “vomiting” from intoxication, but that Swimmer, who was also drunk, had sex with her despite her inability to consent or participate.
The victim stopped training shortly thereafter.
After her abrupt disappearance from training the victim was informed by another former student that Swimmer had had similar non-consenting interactions with two other female grapplers at his school before her, motivating her to contact police. According to an affidavit police confirmed with these students that Swimmer also forced them to have sex when heavily intoxicated. In one case Swimmer allegedly did not himself have sex with the victim, but physically restrained her so that someone else could rape her while she was heavily intoxicated.
Swimmer, an IBJJF competitor Fight 2 Win veteran, says in his bio that: “Professor Angelo Swimmer has been dedicated and loyal to Colorado Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and remains so to this day. Eventually starting his own academy, Colorado BJJ West. The same fundamentals, honor, and integrity still thrives at CBJJ West. The core values and principles still remain intact with a bit of a modern twist.”
He will be sentenced on January 24th and will remain in custody until that time.
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