- The Washington Times - Wednesday, July 14, 2021

FBI officials failed to properly investigate sexual abuse allegations against ex-Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, according to a report by the Justice Department Inspector General.

The report released Wednesday by Inspector General Michael Horowitz states at least 40 women said they were molested by Mr. Nassar over a 14-month period, during which the FBI failed to properly address other similar allegations against him.

Top officials at the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office reportedly “failed to respond with the utmost seriousness and urgency that the allegations deserved and required.”

The 119-page review also found that when officials did respond to the allegations, they made “numerous and fundamental errors,” did not alert state or local authorities and did not take other actions to mitigate the ongoing threat. 

FBI officials did not formally document certain meetings, interviews and evidence linked to the allegations, investigators said.

“These failures by Indianapolis officials contributed to a delay of over a year in the proper FBI field office and local authorities initiating investigations that ultimately determined that Nassar had engaged in widespread sexual assaults of over 100 victims and possessed child pornography, led to convictions in both federal and state court, and resulted in jail sentences totaling over 100 years,” the report states.

Mr. Nassar has been sentenced to decades behind bars after being convicted in 2016 of sexual abuse and federal child pornography charges. 

The FBI responded to the report and said the “actions and inactions of certain FBI employees described in the report are inexcusable and a discredit to this organization.

“The FBI has taken affirmative steps to ensure and has confirmed that those responsible for the misconduct and breach of trust no longer work FBI matters,” the FBI said. “We will take all necessary steps to ensure that the failures of the employees outlined in the Report do not happen again.”

• Emily Zantow can be reached at ezantow@washingtontimes.com.

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