PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A well-known name in the world of polo is facing serious allegations of sexual assault involving underage girls.
Polo player turned elite trainer John Gobin lives in West Palm Beach. He is charged with sex crimes and he’s the subject of a civil lawsuit for his alleged actions at his training facility in Virginia.
This civil lawsuit out of Virginia is seeking more than $5 million from Gobin, accusing him of sex crimes against a 16-year-old player and employee at his polo facility in Virginia.
“We’re suing him for statutory rape,” said attorney Ari Wilkenfeld, who represents the victim.
Wilkenfeld alleges in the lawsuit the 55-year-old man used his position and influence in the sport to pressure her into sex, in many cases, paying her afterwards.
“It was an easy decision to get involved in this case on behalf of the client,” said Wilkenfeld.
The lawsuit said “the plaintiff was raped by Gobin more than 15 times.”
Wilkenfeld said the victim’s final straw happened in West Palm Beach, where Gobin lives and, where some of the alleged encounters happened. The lawsuit claims the victim allegedly saw Gobin touch a friend and coworker inappropriately during a dinner. That’s when the victim quit.
“That could be anyone’s kid,” said Wilkenfeld. “That could be my kid. That could be someone else that I care about’s kid. I think we can make a difference here.”
I reached out to Gobin’s attorney who has filed a counter-suit for defamation.
In addition to the lawsuit, the Faquier County Sheriff’s Office in Virginia confirms Gobin was charged in June with two misdemeanor charges for having consensual sex with a child over 15.
Gobin’s attorney said his client denies any wrongdoing. Telling WPTV in a statement the following:
“The two charges you refer to in your voice message are misdemeanor charges based on statements made by two women who used to play polo with Mr. Gobin's club. They have changed their story several times. But it appears, based on the charges, that they are now claiming that Mr. Gobin had consensual sex with them years ago before they were 18 years old. These claims are completely false. The women themselves have admitted that these claims are not true. They are trying to extort money from Mr. Gobin by lying about him. They have admitted to third parties that they see this as a way to get rich. We intend to expose these lies when these matters eventually go to court. In the meantime, it does a disservice to Mr. Gobin and to the public for you to breathe more life into these lies. I hope that you will stress in your coverage that these claims have not been substantiated, that Mr. Gobin adamantly denies the allegations, and that he is presumed innocent of these charges.”
The United States Polo Association is also listed in the lawsuit as one of the defendants. The association sent the following statement saying:
“The USPA charged Player Member John Gobin with a Membership-Related Conduct Violation based on allegations that Mr. Gobin had engaged on multiple occasions in sexual contact with females then under the age of 18. Mr. Gobin has denied the allegations and the charge. Pending the issuance of an appealable judgment in litigation concerning the underlying allegations, the USPA has agreed to adjourn the Special Board Meeting at which the charges against Mr. Gobin would be considered. During the pendency of the USPA disciplinary matter, Mr. Gobin has agreed to abide by the USPA Youth Protection Policy with a modified definition of “Youth, which covers any individual under the age of 18 who is not one of his first-degree or second-degree relatives.”
Gobin has two outstanding warrants from Virginia but the sheriff’s office there has no plans to extradite him, because the charges are misdemeanors.
They said he will be arrested if he returns to Virginia.
