(Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department has reached a $138.7 million civil settlement with hundreds of victims of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who is serving time in prison for sexually abusing athletes under his care, the agency said on Tuesday.
The settlement resolves claims the FBI botched the initial investigation into Nassar, the Justice Department said.
“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset,” Benjamin Mizer, the acting U.S. associate attorney general, said in a statement. “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, the main doctor for Olympic gymnasts for 18 years, was sentenced in federal court in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material. The following year, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years and up to 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts under his care.
(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Chicago and Andrew Goudsward in Washington; Editing by Scott Malone)
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