The former USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor sexually abused hundreds of girls and women under the guise of medical treatment. His crimes ultimately resulted in sentences totaling hundreds of years, more than $1 billion in major settlements and one of the most consequential institutional-failure scandals in American sports. Years later, Nassar was nearly killed when another inmate stabbed him inside a federal prison.
MICHIGAN / FLORIDA — The criminal case against Lawrence Gerard “Larry” Nassar ended with prison sentences so long that he will almost certainly never again live outside federal custody.
But the story of how he got there began decades before police put him behind bars.
For years, Nassar occupied positions that placed him in extraordinary proximity to young athletes. He worked as an osteopathic physician at Michigan State University and became deeply involved with USA Gymnastics. Those positions gave him extraordinary trust from athletes, parents, coaches and institutions. Nassar exploited that trust to sexually abuse girls and young women while disguising his actions as medical treatment.
Eventually, hundreds of women and girls would report that they had been victimized. The scandal extended far beyond the actions of a single doctor, exposing missed warnings at Michigan State University, serious questions surrounding USA Gymnastics and documented failures by the FBI after allegations reached federal agents.
Warning Signs Years Before Nassar’S Arrest
Evidence gathered by Michigan investigators showed concerns about Nassar stretched back many years. A Michigan Attorney General investigation interviewed 280 survivors. Thirteen told investigators they had reported Nassar’s abuse to an identifiable Michigan State University employee at or near the time the abuse occurred. Those reports dated as far back as 1997.
One of the most consequential opportunities to stop him came in 2014, when Michigan State student Amanda Thomashow reported that Nassar had sexually assaulted her during an appointment for hip pain. The allegation triggered university and police investigations. Michigan’s later review found significant shortcomings in the university process, including reliance on medical experts with professional or personal connections to Nassar instead of independent experts. The university concluded Nassar had not violated its sexual-misconduct policy, and he returned to practice.
Usa Gymnastics And The Fbi
In 2015, USA Gymnastics received allegations involving Nassar and contacted the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office. A later U.S. Department of Justice Office of Inspector General investigation found senior officials there failed to respond with the seriousness and urgency required.
The Inspector General found that the office delayed investigative activity, interviewed only one of three athletes identified as available, failed to properly transfer the matter to the FBI office in Michigan and failed to notify state or local authorities. The Lansing office learned of the allegations more than a year later through Michigan State University Police rather than from Indianapolis.
The Case Breaks Open
The public unraveling accelerated in 2016. Former gymnast Rachael Denhollander reported to Michigan State University Police that Nassar had sexually assaulted her when she was 15. In September 2016, the Indianapolis Star published allegations against Nassar, helping propel the accusations into national view. Michigan State terminated Nassar’s employment on September 20, 2016.
On November 22, 2016, Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced criminal sexual-conduct charges against Nassar.
Federal Child Sexual-Abuse Material Case
A federal investigation of Nassar’s electronic devices uncovered an enormous collection of child sexual-abuse material. Federal prosecutors said investigators ultimately found approximately 37,000 images on his computers.
Nassar pleaded guilty in July 2017 to federal offenses involving receiving and possessing child sexual-abuse material and destroying or concealing evidence after realizing law enforcement was closing in.
On December 7, 2017, U.S. District Judge Janet T. Neff sentenced him to 60 years in federal prison, to run consecutively to his Michigan punishment.
Nassar Admits The Sexual Assaults
On November 22, 2017, Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Ingham County. One week later, on November 29, he pleaded guilty to three additional first-degree criminal sexual-conduct charges in Eaton County. He admitted that the conduct was sexual rather than legitimate medical treatment.
Survivors Take Over The Courtroom
Nassar’s January 2018 sentencing hearing became a defining moment in the scandal. For days, survivor after survivor entered Judge Rosemarie Aquilina’s courtroom and described what Nassar had done and how it affected their lives. More than 150 women and girls delivered statements.
On January 24, 2018, Aquilina sentenced Nassar to 40 to 175 years for the seven Ingham County convictions. On February 5, 2018, an Eaton County judge sentenced him to another 40 to 125 years for the remaining three convictions.
Combined with the consecutive 60-year federal sentence, the punishment ensured Nassar would almost certainly die in custody.
Institutional Failure And Fbi Findings
The convictions did not end the investigations. Attention increasingly shifted toward how the abuse had been allowed to continue for so long.
The DOJ Inspector General found numerous violations and fundamental mistakes in the FBI Indianapolis office’s handling of the allegations, including failures to document meetings and interviews properly, transfer information to the appropriate FBI office and notify state or local authorities.
The Inspector General also found that a supervisory special agent did not prepare the required formal report documenting a September 2015 victim interview until roughly 17 months later. The later report contained materially false information and omitted material information.
More Than $1 Billion In Major Settlements
In May 2018, Michigan State University agreed in principle to a $500 million settlement involving 332 survivors, with $425 million for existing claimants and $75 million reserved for potential future claims.
In December 2021, a $380 million settlement was reached involving USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee and insurers.
In April 2024, the Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement involving 139 administrative claims alleging the FBI failed to adequately investigate Nassar.
Those three major resolutions alone total approximately $1.0187 billion.
Prison Attack
Nassar’s notoriety followed him into federal prison. After initially being housed at the U.S. Penitentiary in Tucson, Arizona, he was transferred in August 2018 to USP Coleman II, a high-security federal penitentiary in Florida.
On July 9, 2023, another prisoner attacked Nassar inside his cell at Coleman II with a makeshift weapon. Reports identified the alleged attacker as fellow federal prisoner Shane McMillan.
Nassar was stabbed repeatedly in the neck, chest and back and suffered serious injuries, including a collapsed lung. Correctional officers provided emergency treatment before he was transported to a hospital. He survived.
Reporting citing sources familiar with the incident said the confrontation followed an alleged comment by Nassar while inmates were watching the women’s Wimbledon tennis tournament. That alleged remark has not been independently established as the motive and should be treated as an allegation.
Where The Case Stands
Larry Nassar remains a federal prisoner serving a 60-year federal sentence followed by extraordinarily lengthy Michigan sentences. His Michigan medical license was permanently revoked, and he was assessed a $1 million fine.
The Nassar case remains one of the largest sexual-abuse scandals in American sports. Hundreds of women and girls came forward. Major institutions paid settlements exceeding $1 billion. The FBI was forced to confront documented failures in its handling of the allegations.
The case is ultimately about more than the crimes of one physician. It is also about the consequences when institutions entrusted with protecting children and athletes fail to act effectively on warnings.
Nassar survived the July 2023 stabbing. His sentences remain, and he is expected to spend the rest of his life behind bars.
