US gymnasts abused
Nasser victims receive millions in compensation from the ministry
April 23, 2024, 8:24 p.m
Larry Nasser was a doctor for the US Gymnastics Association and at Michigan State University for more than 20 years. During this time he sexually assaulted 265 female athletes. They are now receiving compensation from the Ministry of Justice for the slow investigation. The Deputy Attorney General apologizes.
The US Department of Justice will pay millions in compensation to numerous victims of abuse by former sports doctor and gymnastics official Larry Nassar. According to a statement, 139 administrative lawsuits related to allegations of sexual abuse by Nassar have been settled. The compensation amount is $138.7 million.
In a lawsuit filed by the highest security agency, the FBI, the women and girls affected accused them of following up on reports of abuse too late, which allowed Nassar to commit further crimes for more than a year until his arrest in fall 2016. The Justice Department said that the settlement that has now been reached has resolved administrative claims against the United States.
Nasser sentenced to 175 years in prison
For decades, Nassar “abused his position by betraying the trust of the people under his care and medical supervision while shirking responsibility,” Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer is quoted as saying in the statement. “These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset. While these settlements will not undo the harm Nassar caused, we hope they will help provide the critical support the victims of his crimes need needed for further healing.”
Nassar, now 60, was a doctor for the USA Gymnastics Federation and the gymnasts at Michigan State University for more than two decades. During this time he is said to have sexually abused 265 women and girls, including Olympic champions Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney. FBI chief Christopher Wray admitted his agency’s “inexcusable” failure in a statement to the US Senate in September 2021. Nassar pleaded guilty in November 2017 and was convicted of more than 250 counts of sexual assault in three verdicts with sentences totaling up to 175 years in prison. World star Biles also testified in the trial alongside more than 150 other people affected.
The abuse victims had already been awarded compensation payments, and the total is now around one billion dollars. In 2018, Nassar’s former employer, Michigan State University, promised $500 million in a settlement, and an agreement for $380 million was reached with the USA Gymnastics Association in 2021.