Allison Baver
{{short description|Short-track speed skater}}
{{use mdy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox speed skater
| name = Allison Baver
| image = Allison Baver.jpg
| imagesize = 200px
| caption = Baver by Fadil Barisha for Wilhelmina Models New York
| country = {{flag|United States of America}}
| fullname =
| sport = Short track speed skating
| event = Women's 500m, 1000m, 1500m, 3000m relay
| pb = 500 m: 44.535 (2008){{Cite web |url=http://www.shorttrackonline.info/skaterbio.php?id=STUSA21108198001 |title=Biographical data for: Allison BAVER |access-date=February 4, 2021|website=ShorttrackOnLine.info }}
1000 m: 1:31.151 (2008)
1500 m: 2:20.015 (2008)
| club =
| collegeteam =
| birth_date = {{Birth-date and age|August 11, 1980}}
| birth_place = Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
| height = {{cvt|1.60|m|order=flip}}
| weight = {{cvt|57|kg|order=flip}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.allisonbaver.com/}}
| retired = 2014
| death_date =
| death_place =
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Women's short track speed skating}}
{{MedalCountry | the {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition|Olympic Games}}
{{MedalBronze| 2010 Vancouver | 3000 m relay}}
}}
Allison Baver (born August 11, 1980) is an American retired short track speed skater. A member of the U.S. short track speed skating squad beginning in 2002, Baver earned multiple medals in ISU World Cup competition.{{Cite web|url=https://www.allamericanspeakers.com/speakers/383992/Allison-Baver|title=Allison Baver | Speaking Fee | Booking Agent|website=www.allamericanspeakers.com}} Baver competed in the 500m, 1000m, 1500m, and 3000m relay events and trained with the US permanent winter sports Olympic team in Salt Lake City, Utah. In the 2005–2006 season, she was ranked third overall in world rankings. In 2010, she won a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
In December 2021, Baver was indicted for allegedly defrauding the U.S. government during COVID-19 with fraudulent business claims in order to receive $10 million. According to the indictment, she claimed that her company, which she formed in 2019, had as many as 430 employees and a monthly payroll of over $4 million.{{Cite web|last=Scholl|first=Jacob|date= December 16, 2021|title=Former Olympian who received millions in PPP loans indicted for financial crimes in Utah|url=https://www.ksl.com/article/50312629/former-olympian-who-received-millions-in-ppp-loans-indicted-for-financial-crimes-in-utah|access-date=2021-12-16|website=KSL.com|language=en}} On June 29, 2023, a federal jury convicted Baver of two counts of making false statements designed to influence a bank, one count of money laundering, and one count of contempt. She faces up to 40 years in prison.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2023/06/30/allison-baver-verdict-former/|title=Allison Baver verdict: Former Olympic speedskater guilty on all counts related to $10M PPP loan|website=The Salt Lake Tribune}} In October 2024, Baver's sentencing was delayed after her defense counsel withdrew. The judge in her case raised the possibility that Baver could file an appeal on the grounds of ineffective counsel.{{cite news |last1=Sollitt |first1=Shannon |title=Utah judge delays sentencing former Olympian Allison Baver as defense attorneys withdraw from case |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/10/15/utah-judge-delays-allison-baver/ |access-date=22 October 2024 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=October 15, 2024}}
Early life and education
Baver was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, on August 11, 1980. At age eleven, Baver competed in the National Roller Skating Championships in Philadelphia. At Wilson High School, she was a soccer player and cheerleader. She did not take up short track speed skating until her junior year of high school. In 2003, Baver graduated from Penn State with a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing and management.{{Cite web|url=https://www.psucollegian.com/news/campus/2017-power-women-conference-to-feature-olympic-speed-skater-allison-baver-ceo-of-deloitte/article_b07fe4a2-2553-11e7-94dc-674e36824055.html|title=2017 Power Women Conference to feature Olympic speed skater Allison Baver, CEO of Deloitte|first=Lauren|last=Lee|date=April 20, 2017|website=The Daily Collegian}} Baver earned an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology.{{cite web|url=http://www.nyit.edu/profiles/details/allison_baver/ |title=Allison Baver (M.B.A. '07) | Profiles | NYIT |publisher=NYIT.edu |url-status= dead| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100323023447/http://www.nyit.edu/profiles/details/allison_baver/|archive-date=March 23, 2010 |access-date=2014-08-04}}
Athletic career
Baver competed in the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, in Turin, Italy, Baver finished seventh in the Women's 500 m competition, following a third-place finish in Semifinal A and a collision with the Czech Republic's Kateřina Novotná in Final B, which took her out of the race for fifth place.
On February 25, 2007, Baver won her first U.S. National Championship.{{cite web
|url = http://www.ohiospeedskating.com/final_results.htm
|title = 2007 US Short Track Championships
|access-date = 2007-02-25
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070818105041/http://www.ohiospeedskating.com/final_results.htm
|archive-date = 2007-08-18
|url-status = dead
}} Between 2008 and 2010, Baver was represented by Wilhelmina Sports.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/WILHELMINA-INTERNATIONAL-5091144/news/WILHL-INT-Wilhelmina-Announces-P-G-Sponsorship-of-Allison-Baver-Olympic-Speed-Skater-13255877/|title=WILHL INT : Wilhelmina Announces P&G Sponsorship of Allison Baver, Olympic Speed Skater|date=October 5, 2009|website=www.marketscreener.com}}
On February 8, 2009, Baver and teammate Katherine Reutter collided on the third lap of the 1500 m race in Sofia, Bulgaria. Baver fractured her leg in multiple places.{{cite web|url=http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=3665459 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210010047/http://www.universalsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=23000&ATCLID=3665459 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-02-10 |title=Baver breaks leg during race |access-date=2009-02-09 }}
At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Baver competed in three events. In the 1500 m, Baver did not make it past the semifinals.{{cite web |url=http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-short-track-speed-skating/schedule-and-results/ladies-1500-m-semifinals_stw015200se.html|title=Ladies' 1500 m - semifinals results|access-date=2010-02-24| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100219005318/http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-short-track-speed-skating/schedule-and-results/ladies-1500-m-semifinals_stw015200se.html| archive-date= 19 February 2010 | url-status= live}} In the 1000 m, Baver was disqualified in the heats.{{cite web |url=http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-short-track-speed-skating/schedule-and-results/ladies-1000-m-heats_stw010900iN.html|title=Ladies' 1000 m - heats results|access-date=2010-02-24| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100218183534/http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-short-track-speed-skating/schedule-and-results/ladies-1000-m-heats_stw010900iN.html| archive-date= 18 February 2010 | url-status= live}} In the 3000 m relay, Baver's U.S. team finished fourth but were awarded the bronze medal after one of the teams was disqualified for an infraction. Baver competed in the relay heats and qualified for a medal.{{cite web|last=Stamm |first=Dan |url=http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/sports/Bavers-Bronze-Olympics-Medal-85354457.html |title=Baver's Beautiful Bronze | NBC 10 Philadelphia |publisher=Nbcphiladelphia.com |date=2010-02-25 |access-date=2014-08-04}}{{cite web|url=http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-short-track-speed-skating/schedule-and-results/ladies-3000-m-relay-finals_stw430100jr.html |title=Ladies' 3000 m relay - finals results |access-date=2010-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100219005330/http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-short-track-speed-skating/schedule-and-results/ladies-3000-m-relay-finals_stw430100jr.html |archive-date=19 February 2010 |url-status=dead }}
Baver in 2016 was elected to a four-year term as one of seven vice presidents of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association.{{Cite web |url=https://www.usopc.org/us-olympic-and-paralympic-foundation |title=U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association elects new officers for 2017-2020 quadrennial |access-date=2017-09-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929232641/http://www.teamusa.org/US-Olympic-and-Paralympic-Foundation/News/2016/November/04/US-Olympians-and-Paralympians-Association-elects-new-officers--for-2017-2020-quadrennial |archive-date=2017-09-29 |url-status=live }}
Film industry
On December 1, 2020, Variety reported that Baver's production company announced an upcoming slate of movies, television shows and documentaries. In addition to executive producing and acting, Baver serves as a series creator.{{cite web|website=Variety.com| url=https://variety.com/2020/film/news/allison-baver-entertainment-film-tv-slate-1234842946/ |title= Olympian Allison Baver Sets Film and TV Slate for Her New Production Company (EXCLUSIVE)|first=Rebecca |last= Rubin |date= December 1, 2020|access-date=2022-04-17}}
Baver appeared as a nurse and stand-in actress on Season 3 of Yellowstone, released in 2020, with Kevin Costner.{{cite web|website= IMDB.com| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4236770/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm |title= Yellowstone (2018-) Full Cast & Crew|access-date=2022-04-17}}
In 2020, Baver appeared as Summer Sanders, a reporter, in the film Six Feet Apart.{{cite web|website= IMDB.com| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12362186/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm |title= Six Feet Apart Full Cast & Crew|access-date=2022-04-17}} It was filmed and took place during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite web|website=HollywoodReporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/how-coronavirus-inspired-a-socially-distanced-rom-1301375/ |title=How Coronavirus Inspired a Socially Distanced Rom-Com: "It Became the Thing That Got Me Through" |first=Katie |last=Kilkenny |date=July 2, 2020 |access-date=2022-04-17}}
In 2021, Baver appeared in an uncredited role as Marsha Tanner in the film No Man of God. It had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 11, 2021, and was released in the United States on August 27, 2021, by RLJE Films. It was also executive produced by Allison Baver Entertainment.{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13507778/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm| title=No Man of God (2021) Full Cast & Crew|website=IMDB.com|access-date=2022-04-16}}
Fraud conviction
On December 15, 2021, Baver was charged with fraudulently applying for $10 million in COVID relief payments and funneling some of the money to Elijah Wood's production company SpectreVision to fund the 2021 film, No Man of God, starring Wood. Prosecutors said Baver submitted eight Paycheck Protection Program loan applications in April 2020 seeking $10 million for her entertainment firm. In each request, Baver said her average monthly payroll was as much as $4.7 million, but she actually had no payroll at all, court documents show.{{cite web | url=https://nypost.com/2021/12/20/allison-marie-baver-falsely-obtained-10m-in-covid-19-relief/ | title=Ex-Olympian charged with falsely obtaining $10M in COVID-19 relief funds | date=20 December 2021 }} Her criminal case is filed as United States v. Baver (2:21-cr-00520).{{cite web|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61622160/united-states-v-baver/|website=Court Listener|publisher=Free Law Project|access-date=2023-01-13|title= United States v. Baver (2:21-cr-00520) District Court, D. Utah}}
On January 18, 2022, Baver pled not guilty to nine federal charges.{{cite web|url= https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1118024/baver-not-guilty-plea-fraud-case|title=Olympic medallist pleads not guilty in COVID-19 fraud and money laundering case|first=Geoff|last=Berkeley |date=20 January 2022|access-date=2022-04-17}} Following two postponements, her trial began on June 26, 2023. On June 29, 2023, a federal jury convicted Baver of two counts of making false statements to a bank, one count of money laundering, and one count of contempt.{{cite web|url=https://www.fox13now.com/utah-jury-convicts-former-olympian-in-pandemic-bailout-trial|title=Utah jury convicts former Olympian in pandemic bailout trial|date=June 29, 2023|first1=Nate|last1=Carlisle|first2=Adam|last2=Herbets|publisher=FOX13|location=Salt Lake City, Utah|access-date=2023-06-29}} She will remain out of custody until her sentencing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61622160/united-states-v-baver/|title=United States v. Baver, 2:21-cr-00520 - CourtListener.com|website=CourtListener}} Baver could spend up to 40 years in prison.{{cite web | url=https://www.fox29.com/news/olympic-medalist-accused-of-stealing-millions-in-covid-19-relief-money | title=Olympic medalist accused of stealing millions in COVID-19 relief money | date=21 January 2022 }} It is expected she will receive 78 months in federal prison followed by 5 years supervised release.https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/61622160/232/united-states-v-baver/ In October 2024, Baver's sentencing was delayed after her defense counsel withdrew. The judge in her case raised the possibility that Baver could file an appeal on the grounds of ineffective counsel.
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{ISU short track skater|new_id=allison-baver|old_id=455955}} (Short Track)
- {{ISU speed skater|old_id=455955}} (Speed Skating)
- {{Team USA|new_id=allison-baver-804835|old_id=BA/Allison-Baver|archive=20220711225025}}
- {{Olympics.com}}
- {{Olympedia}}
- {{IMDb name}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baver, Allison}}
Category:21st-century American sportswomen
Category:American female short-track speed skaters
Category:American female speed skaters
Category:Medalists at the 2010 Winter Olympics
Category:New York Institute of Technology alumni
Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in short-track speed skating
Category:Short-track speed skaters at the 2002 Winter Olympics
Category:Short-track speed skaters at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Category:Short-track speed skaters at the 2010 Winter Olympics