Justice Department won’t charge FBI agents accused of ‘botching’ Larry Nassar sex-abuse case

The Department of Justice announced Thursday that the two former FBI agents accused of mishandling sex-abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar will not be charged with a crime.

In a statement, officials said that after a “careful re-review of evidence,” the department “is adhering to its prior decision not to bring federal criminal charges,” adding, “This does not in any way reflect a view that the investigation of Nassar was handled as it should have been, nor in any way reflects approval or disregard of the conduct of the former agents.”

At a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting in September, four Sister Survivors testified against the FBI in response to the Office of Inspector General’s report.

The report found that the FBI field branch of Indianapolis “failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies.”

The Department of Justice was reconsidering its decision not to prosecute agents in October 2021. However, its announcement today said it will adhere to its prior decision.

Last month, 13 survivors filed their own claims against the FBI. One of the survivors, Grace French, hopes the FBI is held accountable for its failure to investigate Nassar’s sexual abuse allegations.

“The FBI could’ve helped to avoid this trauma,” French said in an April press conference. “It disgusts me and it hurts me. This incredible systemic breakdown shows that there is needed change in the way that the FBI responds to cases of abuse. We need to continue to pursue accountability for the institutions that allowed athletes and children to continue to see Nassar long after reports were made.”

John Manly, a lawyer for many of Nassar’s alleged victims, called the decision “incomprehensible” and said the FBI agents “violated their oaths of office and colluded in the cover up of the worst sexual assault scandal in the history of sports.” He said the timing of the announcement — shortly before a holiday weekend, and during coverage of a school shooting — “is one more cynical attempt by the [Justice Department] to cover up FBI complicity” in the Nassar scandal.

The Justice Department said it will “continue to learn from what occurred in this matter, and undertake efforts to keep victims at the center of our work and to ensure that they are heard, respected, and treated fairly throughout the process, as they deserve,” and said it wanted to work with Congress to address unspecified gaps in the law to “help prevent events like this from taking place in the future and hold perpetrators accountable.”