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Court begins Tuesday at 9 a.m. EST in the sentencing hearing of disgraced U.S. Gymnastics Dr. Lawrence Nassar. He pleaded guilty last November in Ingham County, Michigan to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against female athletes in his care. That sounds like a lot of charges, but that doesn’t compare to the sheer number of allegations against him. In a press statement obtained by Law&Crime, the Michigan Attorney General’s Office said that other alleged victims and their parents would be allowed to give a victim impact statement at the hearing. Testimony will likely continue up to the sentencing hearing set for Friday at 1 p.m.
The state wants a 40-to-125 year sentence.
Nassar, who is 54, also pleaded guilty in other cases for similar behavior, and he already received what is, in effect, a life sentence. In December, a federal judge gave him 60 years behind bars for receiving child porn, possessing it, and trying to hide evidence from investigators. That was the longest amount of time legally available to the court. Nassar also admitted to three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in Eaton County. The sentencing hearing connected to that is set for January 31, according to records obtained by Law&Crime.
The actual charges fall short of completely acknowledging all of his alleged victims: over 100 women stepped forward with claims against the doctor. Some of them were underage girls. They claimed Nassar misused his position as a doctor, and sexually assaulted them during what were supposed to be medical procedures.
Stay with Law&Crime.com and the Law&Crime Network for continuing coverage of the hearing.