Doctor to gymnasts pleads guilty to sexual abuse

A doctor charged with molesting seven girls while working for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University pleaded guilty Wednesday. Larry Nassar, 54, faces at least 25 years in prison. All but one of the women who accused Nassar, who was tried and convicted in Ingham County, Mich., was a gymnast. More than 125 women have filed lawsuits against him, and prosecutors in Michigan are considering more criminal charges in a neighboring county that is home to an elite gymnastics club. The incidents to which he pleaded guilty took place at his Lansing-area home and at a university clinic. His victims include Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney, and Gabby Douglas. Prosecutors say Nassar molested the girls when they came to him with injuries, sometimes when their parents were present. “He convinced these girls that this was some type of legitimate treatment,” Michigan Assistant Attorney General Angela Povilaitis told a judge last summer. The case against Nassar followed complaints that USA Gymnastics mishandled accusations about sexual misconduct involving the doctor and coaches.