Photo: SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP / Getty Images
A group of former Olympic gymnasts, including gold medalist Simone Biles , sued the FBI for $1. million dollars for the mistakes made by the agency to stop the sports doctor Larry Nassar, despite the multiple complaints and testimonies against him.
Nassar was sentenced to more than 300 years in prison in 2018 for sexually abusing gymnasts, many of them when they were minors.
An internal report published in July of last year found numerous errors, delays and cover-ups by part of FBI agents investigating the allegations, allowing Nassar’s abuse to continue for nearly a year after the case against him was opened.
“It’s time for the FBI to be held accountable,” said Maggie Nichols , national champion gymnast in Oklahoma and who has been one of the most active voices in the case.
The almost 80 plaintiffs, in addition to Biles and Nichols, include Olympic medalists Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
Last year, FBI Director Christopher Wray , apologized to the US Congress for the agency’s “reprehensible conduct” and “basic errors” in the case.
However go, the US Department of Justice indicated in May that it would not file criminal charges against former officers who did not promptly open the investigation and who lied about it.
The gymnasts claim that the FBI’s delay in acting caused other young women and girls to continue to be abused by the osteopath.
“If the FBI had just done their job, Nassar would have been arrested before he had a chance to abuse hundreds of girls, including me,” said the former University gymnast of Michigan Samantha Roy.
Last December the athletes reached an agreement after a legal battle against the American sports federation of gymnastics, USA Gymnastics, for which they received compensation of US$380 million.
Michigan State University, which was also pointed out as ignoring complaints against Nassar, agreed to pay US$80 million to more than 06 women and girls who They were attacked by the doctor.
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