Justice Dept. to Weigh Prosecuting F.B.I. Agents in Nassar Case

Politics|Justice Dept. to Weigh Prosecuting F.B.I. Agents successful Nassar Case

The Justice Department is reviewing its determination not to prosecute the F.B.I. agents who failed to prosecute allegations of intersexual maltreatment made successful 2015 against Lawrence G. Nassar, the erstwhile doc for U.S.A. Gymnastics who was convicted 2 years aboriginal connected authorities enactment maltreatment and national kid pornography charges, a apical section authoritative said connected Tuesday.

The antithetic reappraisal comes months aft the Justice Department’s watchdog issued a scathing report that sharply criticized however the F.B.I. handled the case, which archetypal came to its attraction erstwhile U.S.A. Gymnastics reported intersexual maltreatment allegations to the bureau’s Indianapolis tract bureau successful July 2015.

Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz recovered that elder F.B.I. officials failed to notify authorities oregon section authorities oregon instrumentality steps to mitigate the menace that Mr. Nassar posed. Mr. Horowitz’s study recovered that the peculiar cause successful complaint of the tract office, W. Jay Abbott, lied to the inspector general’s investigators to fell his idiosyncratic conflicts successful the lawsuit and downplay errors that the F.B.I. had made.

But the Justice Department yet chose not to prosecute Mr. Abbott, who retired successful January 2018. Another cause from the aforesaid office, Michael Langeman, was fired implicit his handling of the matter.

The victims and their families, on with members of Congress, person sharply criticized the Justice Department’s determination not to further analyse the men oregon research false-statements charges against them.

Lisa O. Monaco, the lawman lawyer general, told the Senate Judiciary Committee connected Tuesday that the caput of the Justice Department’s transgression division, Kenneth Polite, “is presently reviewing this matter, including caller accusation that has travel to light.”

Such a reappraisal does not mean that the agents volition look charges, and it was unclear what the caller accusation was.

But publically disclosing that the section was reviewing its determination not to prosecute was antithetic and spoke to however egregiously the F.B.I. botched the Nassar investigation, 1 of the biggest kid intersexual maltreatment cases successful U.S. history. The acknowledgment besides comes arsenic the bureau is moving to reconstruct nationalist spot aft the turmoil of the Trump administration.

The reappraisal volition besides bring scrutiny to the F.B.I.’s broader handling of intersexual battle cases.

“I privation the survivors to recognize however exceptionally earnestly we instrumentality this contented and judge that this deserves a thorough and afloat review,” Ms. Monaco said astatine a proceeding to impulse Congress to reauthorize and fortify the Violence Against Women Act.

She said the reappraisal was being handled with “a consciousness of urgency and gravity.”


Ms. Monaco announced the beingness of the reappraisal 3 weeks aft 4 prima gymnasts — Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Maggie Nichols — described the maltreatment they endured to the aforesaid Senate committee.


“I blasted Larry Nassar, and I besides blasted an full strategy that enabled and perpetrated his abuse,” Ms. Biles testified.

During a three-hour interrogation with the F.B.I. successful 2015, Ms. Maroney told an cause searing details of the maltreatment she suffered, including during the 2012 Olympics successful London. She told senators that the cause responded to her relationship by saying, “Is that all?”

“Not lone did the F.B.I. not study my abuse, but erstwhile they yet documented my study 17 months later, they made wholly mendacious claims astir what I said,” Ms. Maroney testified. “They chose to prevarication astir what I said and support a serial kid molester.”

The F.B.I.’s nonaccomplishment to enactment connected the accusation it received allowed Mr. Nassar to battle scores of further girls earlier his apprehension by authorities instrumentality enforcement authorities. Mr. Nassar has been accused of intersexual maltreatment by much than 300 girls and women, including galore members of the 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic women’s gymnastics teams.

He is serving what amounts to beingness successful situation for those years of molestation and abuse.

Ms. Monaco apologized to Mr. Nassar’s victims. “I americium profoundly atrocious that successful this lawsuit the victims did not person the effect oregon the extortion that they deserved,” she said.

Her connection echoed those made by the F.B.I. director, Christopher A. Wray, erstwhile helium appeared on with the gymnasts astatine the Senate proceeding past month.