Ex USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry appeared in Michigan court

Michigan – Former USA Gymnastic team doctor Larry Nassar, accused of sexually assaulting dozens women and girls, pleaded guilty Wednesday to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in a Michigan court.

Three of those charges applied to victims under 13, and three applied to victims 13 to 15 years old. Other charges were dismissed or reduced as part of a plea agreement. All 125 victims who reported assaults to Michigan State Police will be allowed to give victim impact statements at Nassar’s sentencing, according to the plea deal.

Nassar made a short statement apologizing and saying he was hopeful the community could move forward.

“For all those involved, I’m so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control,” he said. “I have no animosity toward anyone. I just want healing. … We need to move forward in a sense of growth and healing and I pray (for) that.”

Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said Nassar violated the trust of his patients and praised the victims for coming forward.

“You violated the oath that you took to do no harm, and you harmed them selfishly,” Aquilina said. “They are superheroes for all of America because this is an epidemic.”

In all, Nassar had been charged with 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and 11 counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct at the state level, Megan Hawthorne, deputy press secretary for state Attorney General Bill Schuette, told CNN in July.

A number of women, including several gold-medal winning members of the famed “Fierce Five” team of American gymnasts, have accused Nassar of sexual misconduct in his role as the USA Gymnastics doctor.

Nassar was the team physician for the Michigan State University gymnastics and women’s crew teams as well as an associate professor at MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine. He worked at MSU from 1997 to 2016 and served as the USA Gymnastics physician through four Olympic Games.

Several of the first-degree charges pertained to victims under 13, and all of the state-level charges involve former family friends, gymnasts and patients of Nassar, Hawthorne said.

Separately, Nassar is also awaiting sentencing on federal charges of receiving child pornography, possessing child pornography and a charge that he hid and destroyed evidence in the case. That hearing is scheduled for Monday.

CNN