Nassar Loses Bid to Change Sentence
A U.S. court has rejected ex-sports doctor Larry Nassar’s appeal of a 60-year sentence for possessing child porn. Defense argued the sentence was inflated because the former Michigan State and USA Gymnastics doctor admitted to molesting females under his care.
A federal appeals court has rejected disgraced former sports physician Larry Nassar’s attempt to reduce his 60-year sentence for child pornography.
The court ruled the enormity of Nassar’s sexual abuse of young athletes justified the lengthy sentence.
Nassar spent decades molesting young women and girls under the guise of treating them while serving as a then-renowned sports doctor for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics.
He pleaded guilty to those crimes in two Michigan counties.
He also pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing about 37,000 images of child pornography, evidence he later tried to destroy.
His attorney argued the judge in the pornography case was wrong to cite the separate molestation crimes when deciding how long Nassar would spend behind bars.
In addition, the defense said, it was not right to force the 55-year-old Nassar to serve one sentence after another, instead of serving all of them at the same time, in what will amount to a life sentence.
But the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit held that the gravity of Nassar’s conduct demands lengthy prison time.
The court said the federal judge had not erred by referring to the “deep wounds” Nassar had inflicted on his victims, among other mentions of how he had abused those he was supposed to be helping.
Nassar is still appealing his other sentences.
