CHARLOTTE, Mich. (AP) — A disgraced sports doctor who has admitted to sexually assaulting female gymnasts, including Olympians, and possessing child pornography is returning to a third Michigan court for yet another guilty plea.
Dr. Larry Nassar appears in court for a plea hearing in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Larry Nassar is charged with molesting girls with his hands at Twistars gymnastics club in Eaton County. He’s due in court Wednesday, a week after a separate guilty plea next door in Ingham County.
Nassar, 54, has dropped his claim that he was performing legitimate treatment for girls and young women who had hip and back pain. He worked at Michigan State University and at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, which trains Olympians.
“I’m so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control,” Nassar told a judge last week.
In a third case, Nassar will be sentenced in federal court on Dec. 7 for possessing child pornography. He likely faces decades in prison. Meanwhile, more than 100 women and girls are suing him.
The criminal cases against Nassar followed reports last year in The Indianapolis Star about how USA Gymnastics mishandled complaints about sexual misconduct involving the doctor and coaches. Women and girls said the stories inspired them to step forward with detailed allegations of abuse.
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