As U.S. gymnast Simone Biles makes headlines for pulling out of the Olympic games, her former doctor and alleged abuser Larry Nassar is still avoiding paying his victims what they are owed per federal judgements.
According to a July 28 report in the Washington Post, Nassar has paid either little or nothing to his victims even though tens of thousands of dollars – including funds from COVID-19 stimulus payments – moved through his Federal Bureau of Prisons account.
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“Nassar has paid approximately $8.33 toward his criminal monetary penalties per month, despite receiving deposits into his account over this period totaling $12,825.00,” said a filing by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel Fauson. It reported Nassar’s current account balance as $2,041.57, said the Washington Post.
Nassar, a Michigan native, received a prison sentence from 40 to 175 years in 2018 after he pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct and admitted to using a trusted medical position to assault and molest girls under the guise of medical treatment, said CNN. Nassar served as a doctor with USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University; over 330 women accused him of sexual misconduct, including Biles, other Olympic athletes and former gymnast Rachel Denhollander.
According to the Washington Post, Nassar’s victims say law enforcement and USA Gymnastics officials ignored his abuse of patients for years. A Justice Department report released this month found that the FBI failed to properly investigate allegations against Nassar.
Biles, now age 24, was the only survivor of Nassar’s abuse to compete in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games held this summer. The gold-medalist pulled out of the games this week to focus on her mental health.
Nassar has also been sentenced to a separate 60 years in prison for federal child pornography charges and is currently being held in a high-security prison located in central Florida.
Prosecutors filed a motion Wednesday seeking to force the Bureau of Prisons to turn over Nassar’s current prison account balance in light of a $5,300 court-ordered payment he owes the federal Crime Victims Fund.
According to court papers, the Bureau of Prisons only required Nassar to pay $100 annually, about $300 altogether, since he was first incarcerated in 2017.
According to the recent court filing, Nassar has not paid any of the $57,488.52 he was ordered to give five of his victims in the child pornography case as well as other court ordered debts.
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“Nassar spent more than $10,000 through his government-run prison account that covers commissary, email and phone expenses,” while avoiding these payments, said the Washington Post.
Prison spending figures indicate Nassar pays the bare minimum required by the Bureau of Prisons “inmate financial responsibility” program, said the outlet. At the rate his is paying, Nassar would only end up paying $500 of the $5,300 debt he owes because under federal rules, special-assessment debt is canceled after five years.
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Issues with Bureau of Prisons inmate spending accounts are not limited to Nassar. Earlier this month, another Washington Post report found around $100 million sitting in inmate accounts is shielded from court orders for things like child support, alimony or other debts. In one case, a prisoner begged to have money taken out of his account to pay court ordered debts after being ignored by the Bureau of Prisons, said the report.
Lawmakers have urged the Department of Justice to address the issue.