Chiacchia Arrested

Darren Chiacchia, a former U.S. Olympic rider and 2003 Pan Am gold medalist who recovered from serious head injuries sustained in a fall in March of 2008, has been arrested in Florida on an HIV-related charge.

A partner alleged that Chiacchia, 45, had unprotected sex with him numerous times between February and June of 2009 without informing him that he was infected with HIV.

The charge was laid by the Marion County Sheriff’s office on January 20th; Chiacchia was released the same day on a $2,000 bond. Officials say that the victim recorded a conversation and received an email from Chiacchia allegedly admitting that he had been HIV positive since 2008, long before the pair became sexually active.

In most states, including Florida, exposing a partner to HIV without prior warning is a punishable offense called “criminal transmission,” and although the laws are enforced only sporadically, some offenders have received prison terms ranging from a few years to life in prison.

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