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Court continues Tuesday at 9 a.m. EST in the Ingham County, Michigan sentencing hearing of disgraced sports doctor Lawrence Nassar. He was originally going to be sentenced last Friday, but more women than expected are delivering victim impact statements. At first, 88 people were set to speak. That number skyrocketed.
#LarryNassar – We are now hearing the number of survivors to give statements could be as high as 160. When the hearing began last week, the number was 88.
— Law & Crime Network (@LawCrimeNetwork) January 22, 2018
Prosecutors asked for sentence between 40 and 125 years in prison after Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Obviously, that doesn’t compare to the sheer number of allegations against him.
On Monday, more women stepped forward to say Nassar sexually abused them. Kamerin Moore‘s story is somewhat representative. A gymnast, she was 10 when she first met him, she said.
“I was absolutely mortified when you asked me if I started my period yet,” she said in court.
Nassar’s work with Michigan State University and U.S.A. Gymnastics gave him the cover to commit abuse for decades. Most women said he molested them during what were supposed to be medical procedures.
Emma Ann Miller, 15, said she might be the last person Nassar abused. It was so recent, she said, that Michigan State University was still billing her mother for the medical treatments the disgraced doctor performed.
“Patients of former MSU physician Larry Nassar will not be billed,” an MSU spokesperson told Law&Crime on Monday.
The school is fighting lawsuits from over 100 women, who say university officials should’ve done more to stop the abuse.
Nassar, 54, is already serving what may in effect be a life sentence. A federal judge sentenced him to 60 years in prison for child porn charges. He is also set for a January 31 sentencing hearing in Eaton County, Michigan, over his guilty plea to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.
Stay with Law&Crime.com and the Law&Crime Network for continuing coverage of the hearing.
