Volleyball Club Coach Fired in Viral Sting Operation

An east side business fired an employee who was caught up in a viral sting operation that went online. The incident started when a YouTube personality claimed to have evidence that the employee of The Academy Volleyball Club had sent inappropriate messages to an underage boy.

The employee, Travis Fuller, director of volleyball operations at The Academy, said the employee involved was immediately suspended and removed from the property, and has since been terminated. "Player safety is The Academy's highest priority," Fuller said in an email. "We maintain a rigorous process to verify the qualifications and backgrounds of every professional who works with our youth athletes."

The incident was recorded on video by the YouTube personality, JiDion, who uploaded it to YouTube and TikTok. The video shows JiDion attempting to confront the employee, their manager, and eventually IMPD police officers, presenting what he claims are printed screenshots of conversations between a 14-year-old boy and the employee.

“JiDion” claimed the messages included graphic sexual images. In the video, a responding IMPD officer said that “our prosecutor will not touch this” because “I need probable cause that a crime has been committed.”

Metro Police told News 8 that detectives are evaluating the evidence. Police will only present findings to prosecutors after an investigation if charges are recommended.

Without commenting on the particular case, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office encouraged anyone with information of a crime to bring it to law enforcement. “Early reporting not only helps ensure the safety of those at risk but also preserves critical evidence so that it meets the legal and ethical standards required to be admissible in court,” prosecutor's spokesperson Michael Leffler said.

Authorities in Indiana generally discourage the social media trend of online citizen-led stings involving child sex crimes. Former Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Matt Kubacki believes vigilante interference risks creating evidentiary issues that will fail legal or ethical standards in court.

"These groups are probably operating from a noble principle," Kubacki said. "But they are also operating, in what I would think, from a personal standpoint more for views and clicks."

The Academy Volleyball Club's director of volleyball operations, Travis Fuller, said the employee involved had worked at the club about two years, and that new hires go through comprehensive background checks and all employees complete yearly SafeSport abuse prevention training.

“While we continually seek ways to strengthen our safeguards, we are proud of our process and deeply value the trust our players and their families place in us every day,” Fuller said.

IMPD encouraged anyone with information on a possible sex crime involving children to submit tips through the Indiana Department of Child Services hotline or the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children Cyber tip line.