DETROIT – The U.S. Department of Justice announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with greater than 100 individuals who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling sexual assault allegations against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016 to have victims before his arrest.
Combined with other settlements, various organizations have now committed $1 billion to compensate tons of of girls who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treating sports injuries.
Nassar worked at Michigan State University and in addition served as a team doctor for USA Gymnastics in Indianapolis. He is now serving a long time in prison for assaults on female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar abused the trust of the people in his look after a long time and the “allegations should have been taken seriously from the beginning.”
“While these settlements will not undo the harm Nassar has caused, we hope they will help provide the victims of his crimes with the critical support they need to continue healing,” Mizer said of the agreement Settlement of 139 claims.
The Justice Department has admitted it did not intervene. For greater than a yr, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles knew in regards to the allegations against him but apparently took no motion, an internal investigation found.
FBI Director Christopher Wray was remorseful — and really direct — as he spoke to survivors at a Senate hearing in 2021. Survivors of the attack include decorated Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
“I’m sorry that so many different people kept letting you down,” Wray said. “And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster in 2015 and failed.”
After a search in 2016, investigators said they found images of kid sexual abuse and subsequently filed federal charges against Nassar. Separately, the Michigan Attorney General's Office addressed the assault charges that ultimately shocked the sports world and led to a rare, day-long sentencing hearing with gripping testimony about his crimes.
“The unfortunate reality is that what we see today is something most survivors never see,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “Most survivors don’t see responsibility. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never receive compensation.”
Michigan State University, which was also accused of squandering the chance to stop Nassar over a few years, agreed to pay $500 million to greater than 300 women and girls who were attacked. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have reached a $380 million settlement.
Mick Grewal, a lawyer who represented 44 people in lawsuits against the federal government, said the whole $1 billion in settlements shows “the tragedy that has taken place.”
Associated Press reporter Mike Householder in Detroit; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
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