In a disturbing new investigation, the New York Times has identified at least 27 women and girls who allege they were molested by former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar after he first fell under FBI scrutiny.
Nassar, who has since been sentenced to up to 175 years in prison for sex abuse, was reported to law enforcement in July 2015 after a USA Gymnastics investigator made the recommendation. According to the Times, it took the FBI nearly a year to contact the three victims at the center of the inquiry — Maggie Nichols, Aly Raisman, and McKayla Maroney — and all the while, Nassar continued his abuse.
It was only after the Indianapolis Star publicly exposed Nassar’s behavior in September 2016 that the case took on sudden urgency, as the report prompted women to file complaints with the Michigan State University police.
One of the 27 women who allege they were molested between July 2015 and September 2016 is 15-year-old Emma Ann Miller. Once a month, the competitive dancer met with Nassar, her doctor, and it was during these sessions that he molested her. Her account is below:
“Whenever he asked if my lower back hurt, he would always find a way to touch me down there,” she said, explaining that Dr. Nassar would say that her pelvis was in need of adjustment. “Whether or not I said my back hurt, he would always find a way to, to. …”
The young girl paused.
“I think I’ve blocked out a lot of what he did to me,” she said finally.
The FBI reportedly declined to answer the Times’ detailed questions about the investigation and instead issued a short statement claiming that “the safety and well-being of our youth is a top priority for the F.B.I.” The Times reports that the statement suggested the investigation lagged because it “transcended jurisdictions.”
Read the full report here.
