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Omaha gym owner convicted of sex assault on rare provision

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Posted at 5:16 PM, Feb 24, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-24 18:16:15-05

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An Omaha gym owner has been convicted of sexually assaulting a one-time aspiring Olympic powerlifter under a rarely used provision of Nebraska’s rape laws.

Our partners at the Omaha World-Herald reported that a judge on Tuesday convicted 59-year-old Douglas Anders of first-degree sexual assault for allegedly using coercion and deception to have sex with the young woman at his gym several years ago.

The woman began attending Anders’ gym when she was 15. Prosecutors said that when she was 17, Anders persuaded her that he needed to perform pelvic adjustments that involved him penetrating her with his fingers, and that over time, he coerced her into sex.

Nebraska's age of sexual consent is 16, which is why prosecutors charged Anders with the rarely used coercion and deception provision.

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