Current:Home > MarketsUS government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations -ProfitLogic
US government agrees to $138.7M settlement over FBI’s botching of Larry Nassar assault allegations
View
Date:2025-04-17 18:35:53
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement Tuesday with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016, a critical time gap that allowed the sports doctor to continue to prey on victims before his arrest.
When combined with other settlements, $1 billion now has been set aside by various organizations to compensate hundreds of women who said Nassar assaulted them under the guise of treatment for sports injuries.
Nassar worked at Michigan State University and also served as a team doctor at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics. He’s now serving decades in prison for assaulting female athletes, including medal-winning Olympic gymnasts.
Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin Mizer said Nassar betrayed the trust of those in his care for decades, and that the “allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset.”
“While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing,” Mizer said of the agreement to settle 139 claims.
The Justice Department has acknowledged that it failed to step in. For more than a year, FBI agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles had knowledge of allegations against him but apparently took no action, an internal investigation found.
FBI Director Christopher Wray was contrite — and very blunt — when he spoke to survivors at a Senate hearing in 2021. The assault survivors include decorated Olympians Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
“I’m sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again,” Wray said. “And I’m especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in 2015 and failed.”
After a search, investigators said in 2016 that they had found images of child sex abuse and followed up with federal charges against Nassar. Separately, the Michigan attorney general’s office handled the assault charges that ultimately shocked the sports world and led to an extraordinary dayslong sentencing hearing with gripping testimony about his crimes.
“I’m deeply grateful. Accountability with the Justice Department has been a long time in coming,” said Rachael Denhollander of Louisville, Kentucky, who is not part of the latest settlement but was the first person to publicly step forward and detail abuse at the hands of Nassar.
“The unfortunate reality is that what we are seeing today is something that most survivors never see,” Denhollander told The Associated Press. “Most survivors never see accountability. Most survivors never see justice. Most survivors never get restitution.”
Michigan State University, which was also accused of missing chances over many years to stop Nassar, agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 women and girls who were assaulted. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee made a $380 million settlement.
Mick Grewal, an attorney who represented 44 people in claims against the government, said the $1 billion in overall settlements speaks to “the travesty that occurred.”
___
Associated Press reporters Mike Householder in Detroit; Dylan Lovan in Louisville, Kentucky; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C., contributed to this story.
___
For more updates on the cases against Larry Nasser: https://apnews.com/hub/larry-nassar
veryGood! (58789)
Related
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- U.S. Taxpayers on the Hook for Insuring Farmers Against Growing Climate Risks
- How Trump’s ‘Secret Science’ Rule Would Put Patients’ Privacy at Risk
- Ariana Grande’s Rare Tribute to Husband Dalton Gomez Is Just Like Magic
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- 50 years after Roe v. Wade, many abortion providers are changing how they do business
- Don't let the cold weather ruin your workout
- Decade of Climate Evidence Strengthens Case for EPA’s Endangerment Finding
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- Celebrate 10 Years of the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara With a 35% Discount and Free Shipping
Ranking
- Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
- All the Dazzling Details Behind Beyoncé's Sun-Washed Blonde Look for Her Renaissance Tour
- Keith Urban Accidentally Films Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham Kissing at Taylor Swift's Concert
- U.S. Electric Car Revolution to Go Forward, With or Without Congress
- Average rate on 30
- When is it OK to make germs worse in a lab? It's a more relevant question than ever
- UV nail dryers may pose cancer risks, a study says. Here are precautions you can take
- That Global Warming Hiatus? It Never Happened. Two New Studies Explain Why.
Recommendation
Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
U.S. Military Report Warns Climate Change Threatens Key Bases
Trump indictment timeline: What's next for the federal documents case?
Sam Asghari Speaks Out Against “Disgusting” Behavior Toward Wife Britney Spears
Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
Agent: Tori Bowie, who died in childbirth, was not actively performing home birth when baby started to arrive
Keith Urban Accidentally Films Phoebe Bridgers and Bo Burnham Kissing at Taylor Swift's Concert
Today's Hoda Kotb Says Daughter Hope Has a Longer Road Ahead After Health Scare