Olympic bronze medallist (2004) Darren Chiacchia, who suffered a terrible horse-jumping fall in 2008 that sent him into a coma, is charged with exposing his former partner to H.I.V. multiple times without telling him of his condition.

Chiacchia, of Ocala, Florida, has pleaded not guilty, and faces up to 30 years in prison under Florida law, according The New York Times. 

He is charged with a first-degree felony because he and his former partner had sex more than once. Records show that the former partner tested negative for H.I.V. before August 2009.

“Based on the facts of the case, we felt filing charges was appropriate, and we believe the crime was committed,” said Timothy McCourt, the assistant state attorney in Mr. Chiacchia’s case. “Failing to inform somebody can put their
life at risk. And I think in a real sense, you’re playing Russian roulette with another person’s life.”

Chiacchia is facing a June trial, after being arrested this winter by the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Chiacchia helped the U.S. eventing team win an Olympic bronze medal in 2004. He was preparing for the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when his horse fell over a jump breaking several bones, causing brain injuries and putting the forty-five year old in a coma. The Times reports officials said it was during this time in the hospital that he found out he was H.I.V. positive.

The Sheriff's Office and prosecutors then subpoenaed Chiacchia's medical records, interviewed friends, and collected text and e-mail messages to investigate.

The New York Times reports that in a 2009 e-mail, Chiacchia told his ex-partner he kept his medical history a secret because he did not trust him. "I could not share with you and have you leave me with this information about me," he wrote.

A Florida law passed in 1997 says people with H.I.V. must inform their sexual partners of their condition otherwise it is considered a felony, said the paper. According to the newspaper, Florida is one of at least 32 states that have criminal statues specific to people with H.I.V.

Complete NY times report: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/sports/12hiv.html?pagewanted=1