Disgraced physician Larry Nassar was reportedly involved in an altercation with another inmate while serving time in federal prison for sexual assault.
The Associated Press reported on Monday, July 10, that Nassar, 59, was stabbed multiple times during an incident at the United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida one day prior. He was struck in the back and chest but is said to be in stable condition.
Nassar previously worked for Team USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University before he was indicted in November 2016 on state sexual assault charges dating from 1998 to 2005. He was charged with 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with minors, pleading not guilty to all charges in December 2016.
Following his arraignment, Nassar was arrested on federal charges and denied bail after the FBI discovered child pornography on computer drives he attempted to discard in trash bins outside his home. He pleaded guilty in July 2017 to receiving and possessing child pornography and tampering with evidence, which earned him a 60-year prison sentence and a lifetime of supervised release.
Throughout 2017, hundreds of women and girls claimed they had been sexually abused by Nassar during his stint as the U.S. women’s gymnastics team doctor. Among those who came forward were Olympians McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman. (Simone Biles and Jordyn Wieber later shared their own experiences with Nassar as the scandal continued.)
Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with minors in November 2017, admitting to molesting multiple girls — some of whom were under the age of 13. During his sentencing hearing the following January, Raisman and more victims made impact statements detailing the abuse they survived.
“Imagine feeling like you have no power or voice. Well, you know what, Larry? I have both power and voice and I’m only beginning to just use them,” Raisman told the doctor in the Michigan court. “All these brave women have power and we will use our voices to make sure you get what you deserve.”
Wieber, for her part, spoke about experiencing “shame and confusion” as a result of Nassar’s behavior. “I have spent months trying to think back on my experience and wonder how I didn’t know what was happening to me and how I became so brainwashed by Larry Nassar and everyone at USA Gymnastics. Both whom I thought were supposed to be on my side,” she said.
At the time, Nassar addressed his victims in a brief statement. “There are no words to describe the depth and breadth of how sorry I am for what has occurred. I will carry your words with me for the rest of my days,” he noted in part.
Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison by Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who declared that it was her “honor and privilege” to send Nassar away. “You do not deserve to walk outside a prison ever again,” she added.
In February 2018, Nassar earned an additional 40 to 125 years in prison during a trial in Eaton County, Michigan. “I’m not convinced that you truly understand that what you did was wrong and the devastating impact you have had on the victims, their families and friends,” Judge Janice Cunningham told Nassar in court. “You are in denial.”
Biles and more later sought $1 billion from the federal government for the FBI’s failure to investigate Nassar when allegations against him first came to light in 2015.
In the wake of the scandal, Michigan State University agreed to pay $500 million to Nassar’s victims. USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, meanwhile, made a $380 million settlement.
If you or someone you know have been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
