Ex-doctor to gymnasts charged with sex crimes
A former Michigan State doctor who spent decades working with members of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team is facing sexual assault charges involving at least one alleged victim younger than 13.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette’s office obtained a felony warrant for Larry Nassar on Monday morning on three charges of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a person under 13, according to court records. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The alleged abuse took place at Nassar’s home in Holt, Mich., between 1998 and 2005, according to court records. Megan Hawthorne, a spokeswoman for Schuette, declined to say whether the charges were connected to more than one alleged victim.
Ingham County Sheriff ’s Office Major Sam Davis confirmed Nassar was in custody. It’s not clear when he’ll be arraigned. Matthew Newburg, Nassar’s attorney, said he wasn’t aware of the charges when contacted by a reporter Monday afternoon. He declined to comment.
Schuette and Michigan State Police Chief James Dunlap have scheduled a news conference for Tuesday afternoon to provide an update on the investigation.
Nassar, 53, was team doctor for USA Gymnastics during four Olympics and was a Michigan State professor as well as a team doctor for the school’s women’s gymnastics and women’s crew teams.
Nassar left USA Gymnastics last fall with little notice. The university fired him in September after receiving a number of sexual assault allegations.
An undisclosed number of former patients — officials have not said how many — have come forward with allegations against Nassar after an Indianapolis Star report detailed the accounts of two women who claim he sexually assaulted them during medical examinations.