The Department of Justice (DOJ) made a significant announcement on Tuesday, revealing settlements reached with victims who suffered sexual abuse at the hands of former physician and United States Gymnastics official Larry Nassar.
A staggering total of $138.7 million will be disbursed to individuals affected by Nassar’s reprehensible actions.
Some of Nassar’s victims included U.S. Olympic Gymnasts Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and NCAA and world champion gymnast Maggie Nichols.
Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a press release, “For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability.”
“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset,” he continued. “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.”
Nassar exploited his position for nearly two decades, claiming to administer medical treatment while sexually abusing hundreds of girls. It wasn’t until 2016 that authorities finally apprehended him.
The voices of the girls who bravely spoke out about Nassar’s actions were largely notably disregarded prior to his arrest.
The Post Millennial reports that Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray has also extended a formal and heartfelt apology to Nassar’s victims on behalf of the agency’s shortcomings in handling the allegations brought forth by the girls.
Wray expressed deep regret for the failure to provide the necessary support and attention to these courageous individuals, whose voices were tragically silenced for too long.
CBC reported in 2018 that Nassar received sentencing ranging from 40 to 125 years in federal prison for sexual abuse in Eaton County, Michigan, and another 40 to 175 years in a separate county.
These sentences are to be served consecutively to his 60-year term, which was imposed the previous year for a distinct child pornography case.
Nassar was initially incarcerated at the US Penitentiary in Coleman, Florida, but was later relocated to a facility in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania following a violent attack where he sustained multiple stab wounds to the back by a fellow inmate.
Resist The Mainstream reported last year on the stabbing where Nassar had reportedly spoken of “wanting to watch girls” while watching the elite tennis competition preceding the attack.
Shane McMillan, a 49-year-old prisoner, was identified as the perpetrator of the assault. He was convicted of assaulting a correctional officer at a federal penitentiary in Louisiana in 2006, and of attempting to fatally stab another inmate at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado, in 2011.
Four additional inmates intervened, forcibly removing McMillan from Nassar during the incident.
Nassar had also reportedly received a letter while in prison from Jeffrey Epstein shortly before he was found dead his Manhattan jail cell.
The Associated Press obtained 4,000 pages of documents, which revealed the shocking development. These documents also provided new insight into Epstein’s deteriorating mental health during his 36-day stay at the Manhattan Correctional Center.
The post DOJ Reaches $138.7M Settlement With Sexual Abuse Victims Of Disgraced U.S. Gymnastics Official Larry Nassar appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
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Author: Jordyn M.
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