Earlier this week, the federal government announced a $138.7 million settlement to over 100 survivors for the FBI's failure to thoroughly investigate sexual abuse allegations against Larry Nassar in 2015 and 2016. The FBI’s inaction allowed Nassar to continue abusing his patients for another year before his arrest.
In 2015 USA Gymnastics approached the FBI with information about three people who said that they were assaulted by Nassar. The FBI only interviewed one of them, Olympian McKayla Maroney. In 2021 at a Senate hearing, Maroney described the cold disregard FBI agents had for the trauma she had experienced and shared with them.
By the time Nassar was arrested by the Michigan State Police in 2016, it had been a year since the FBI was first notified of his sexual misconduct. In the span of that year, USA Gymnastics allowed Nassar to quietly retire as the team doctor for the U.S. women's national gymnastics team. No one from USA Gymnastics or the FBI informed authorities in Michigan of the complaints against him, enabling Nassar to continue working as a sports doctor at Michigan State.
Michigan Public reporter Kate Wells came on the Stateside podcast to cover the details of what the FBI did and did not do with these allegations, how Nassar was eventually arrested, and how some survivors are feeling about how these lawsuits have played out.
GUEST ON THIS EPISODE:
- Kate Wells, reporter for Michigan Public
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