PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A prominent Oregon horse trainer who competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics was charged with a federal crime of having a sexual relationship with a minor on Thursday.
Rich Fellers of Oregon City was already facing charges in Washington County.
Just over a decade ago, Fellers was near the top of the horse world, competing in the London Olympics.
He was revered in the local equestrian community until 2021 when he was arrested by Tualatin police.
At the age of 60, Fellers was accused of sexually abusing one of his students, Maggie Kehring, when she was 17.
“I did care about him, you know, immensely. He was a person in my life who I had so much trust and respect for,” Kehring told CBS News in 2021. “I had never been in a relationship. And I made that clear … I was still a virgin.
Kehring had known Fellers since she was 11 years old. CBS News says the abuse ended when Fellers’s wife allegedly walked in on them while in Michigan for a horse show.
Court documents say the new federal charge is “Interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.”
“We will not be engaging in any interviews,” wrote Fellers’ lawyer Mike De Muniz in an email to KOIN 6 News.
When asked how she would describe Fellers when she was 15, Kehring said, “I would’ve said that he’s an incredible rider, he’s an incredible horseman, he’s a great teacher, he’s a great person.” However, when asked how she would describe him now, Kehring said he was “a sociopath.”
On Thursday Fellers appeared before Federal Magistrate Judge Jeff Armistead and pleaded not guilty. He is not being held in jail. A trial was scheduled for early July.
