FBI is open to settling claims of gymnasts
WASHINGTON » The FBI has reached out to attorneys representing Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and other women who were sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar to begin settlement talks in the $1 billion claim they brought against the federal government, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The FBI's general counsel contacted the lawyers for Olympic gold medalists Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney and dozens of other women on Wednesday. The FBI's attorneys told the lawyers for the women that they had received the legal claims and the agency was “interested” in a resolution, including discussions about a potential settlement, the people said.
The people could not discuss details of the negotiations publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
John Manly, a lawyer who represents more than 90 victims, declined to comment when contacted earlier Thursday by the AP. The settlement talks were first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The victims had brought claims against the FBI for failing to stop the sports doctor when the agency first received allegations against him. FBI agents in 2015 knew that Nassar was accused of assaulting gymnasts, but they failed to act, leaving him free to continue to target young women and girls for more than a year. He pleaded guilty in 2017 and is serving decades in prison.
Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics told local agents in 2015 that three gymnasts said they were assaulted by Nassar, a team doctor. But the FBI did not open a formal investigation or inform federal or state authorities in Michigan, according to the Justice Department's inspector general. Los Angeles agents in 2016 began a sexual tourism investigation against Nassar and interviewed several victims but also didn't alert Michigan authorities, the inspector general said.
Nassar wasn't arrested until the fall of 2016 during an investigation by police at Michigan State University, where he was a doctor. The Michigan attorney general's office ultimately handled the assault charges against Nassar, while federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, filed a child pornography case.
The Justice Department in May said that it would not pursue criminal charges against former agents who were accused of giving inaccurate or incomplete responses during the inspector general's investigation. At the time, Justice officials said they were “adhering to its prior decision not to bring federal criminal charges” after a “careful re-review of evidence.”