CNN
—
Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing young athletes under the guise of medical treatment, was assaulted inside a federal prison in Florida, according to two sources familiar with the incident.
Joe Rojas, president of the local correction officers’ union, told CNN Nassar was stabbed a total of 10 times – twice in the neck, twice in the back, and six times in the chest. Rojas credits corrections officers on the scene with saving Nassar’s life. Rojas says Nassar is in stable condition.
Nassar has been serving a 60-year sentence for federal child pornography charges.
According to a statement from the Bureau of Prisons, “on Sunday, July 9, 2023, at approximately 2:35 pm, an inmate was assaulted at the United States Penitentiary (USP) Coleman II, in Sumterville, Florida. Responding staff immediately initiated life-saving measures. Staff requested Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and life-saving efforts continued.”
An internal investigation into the incident is underway, the statement says. The inmate, who a source familiar confirmed is Nassar, was transported to a hospital for treatment.
Authorities did not release additional details about the attack.
In addition to his federal prison sentence, Nassar was sentenced in a Michigan state court to up to 175 years in prison after more than 150 women and girls said in court he sexually abused them over the past two decades.
Nassar pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct in Ingham County in Michigan and admitted to using his trusted medical position to assault and molest girls under the guise of medical treatment.
A total of 156 women gave victim impact statements in court, describing how they went to Nassar to receive treatment for sports injuries only to be sexually assaulted and told it was a form of treatment.
Many of the women said when they spoke up about the treatment, they were ignored or their concerns brushed aside by organizations in power, primarily USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University where Nassar was the gymnastics team doctor, and the US Olympic Committee.
In 2021, victims of Nassar reached a $380 million settlement with USA Gymnastics, the US Olympic Committee and their insurers.
The settlement was part of the USA Gymnastics plan to exit bankruptcy as the organization has struggled to recover from the Nassar scandal.
The Associated Press was first to report on the assault.
