The US Department of Justice reached a settlement in which former and current gymnasts, victims of the former doctor of the US women’s gymnastics team, Larry Nassar, will be paid 138.7 million dollars in damages due to the omissions made by the FBI in the investigation of those sexual assaults.
More than 150 former and current gymnasts, including Olympic medalists, have alleged that Nassar sexually abused them, and the FBI did not investigate their allegations, reports CNN.
Nassar was sentenced in the state of Michigan to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing female athletes under the guise of medical treatment.
For decades, Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision, Acting Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said today.
Those accusations should have been taken seriously from the start. While this settlement will not undo the harm Nassar has caused, we hope it will help victims of his crimes get the critical support they need to continue their treatment, he added.
In a scathing inspector general’s report, the Justice Department found that senior officials at the FBI’s Indianapolis field office failed to properly respond to the gymnasts’ allegations, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did, and violated FBI policy while conducting the investigation.
Three years ago, Nassar’s victims reached a $380 million settlement with the USA Gymnastics Federation and the National Olympic Committee.
