Ex-sports doctor sentenced to 3rd term for abuse
CHARLOTTE, Mich. — The former sports doctor whose serial sexual abuse of girls and young women upended the gymnastics world was sentenced Monday to a third prison term of 40 to 125 years for molesting young athletes at an elite Michigan training center.
Larry Nassar listened to dozens of victims for two days last week and was almost attacked by a man whose three daughters said they were abused. His final sentence comes after he pleaded guilty to penetrating young athletes with ungloved hands when they sought treatment for injuries at Twistars, a gymnastics club that was run by a 2012 U.S. Olympic coach.
Nassar’s conduct “robbed these girls and women of one of the most truly important human qualities: trust,” Judge Janice Cunningham said.
The sentence is largely symbolic because the 54-year-old is already assured of spending the rest of his life in prison. Before serving either of his two state sentences, he must first serve 60 years in federal prison for child pornography crimes.
Besides the sentence delivered Monday in Eaton County, Nassar was also sentenced last month to 40 to 175 years for similar conduct in another county. Those sentences would be served at the same time.
In a brief statement before he was sentenced, Nassar attempted to apologize to his victims.
“It’s impossible to convey the breadth and depth of how sorry I am to each and every one,” he said.
In all, more than 260 women and girls have reported being molested by Nassar, who worked for Michigan State and USA Gymnastics, the sport’s governing body, which also trains Olympians.
Some of the cases date to the 1990s. The judge said the abuse “spans the country and the world.”
Most victims who wanted to speak publicly or submit a statement did so earlier during Nassar’s seven-day court hearing in Ingham County, including 2012 Olympic teammates Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber and McKayla Maroney.
Larissa Boyce, who in 1997 reported Nassar to Michigan State’s gymnastics coach, said the shared experience of the victims will make them “sisters for life.”
Despite her report, Nassar was not investigated by police until 2004, and that investigation did not result in any criminal charges.
The scandal has rocked Michigan State, which has been accused of repeatedly missing opportunities to stop Nassar, who had a campus office and was a revered figure in sports medicine.