Abuse ‘survivor warriors’ praised
NATIONAL CRIME
LANSING, Mich. — The judge overseeing the sentencing of disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar said Monday that the more than 120 girls and women who have given statements so far at his days-long hearing are “sister survivor warriors.”
“I want you to know that your face and the face of all of the sister survivor warriors — the whole army of you — I’ve heard your words,” Ingham County Circuit Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said after a woman spoke in her Michigan courtroom. “Your sister survivors and you are going through incomprehensible lengths, emotions and soul-searching to put your words together, to publicly stop (the) defendant, to publicly stop predators, to make people listen.”
Nassar, 54, has admitted molesting athletes during medical treatment when he was employed by Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians. He already has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for child pornography crimes. Under a plea deal, he faces a minimum prison sentence of 25 to 40 years in the molestation case that he’s to be sentenced on. The maximum term could be much higher.
“Larry, how many of us are there? Do you even know?” asked Clasina Syrboby, as she fought back tears while speaking for more than 20 minutes Monday. “You preyed on me, on us. You saw a way to take advantage of your position — the almighty 3 USA Gymnastics officials resign /
and trusted gymnastics doctor. Shame on you Larry. Shame on you.”
She and other victims also continued their criticism of Michigan State, USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee for not doing enough to stop Nassar when initial complaints were made years ago.
Emma Ann Miller, 15, said the school was still billing her mother for medical appointments in which Nassar molested Miller as recently as August 2016 — a week before he was fired.
University spokesman Jason Cody said Miller’s allegation is being addressed. “I can tell you that patients of former MSU physician Larry Nassar will not be billed,” Cody said.
Michigan State’s governing board has stood behind university President Lou Anna Simon, despite calls from legislative leaders and others that she resign or be fired over the scandal.
In her statement to the court, Miller directly addressed Michigan State.
“I, like all those that have spoken, didn’t choose this circumstance to have the right to be standing in front of this podium today,” she said. “Nassar made that choice for us — your 20-year childmolesting employee.”
A Title IX probe conducted by the university cleared Nassar of sexual assault allegations in 2014, but at least 12 reported assaults occurred after the investigation ended, according to a university police report.
The school let Nassar see patients for 16 months while the campus police also conducted a criminal investigation into the allegations. The local prosecutor declined to charge Nassar.
The sentencing hearing will resume Tuesday.