FBI mishandled Larry Nassar sexual abuse case, watchdog report finds

The FBI made a series of critical errors in its handling of sexual abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who sexually abused female athletes for years, the Department of Justice's inspector general said in a scathing report released Wednesday. The report said more athletes were abused by Nassar after the FBI became aware of the allegations.

The inspector general accused the FBI of failing to respond to the allegations against Nassar with the "utmost seriousness and urgency" they required. Nassar, who also served as the doctor for a gymnastics club and a high school, has been sentenced to over 100 years in prison for crimes of sexual abuse and child pornography. The report said the FBI's Indianapolis field office first learned of the accusations in July 2015 after USA Gymnastics conducted its own internal investigation. But the FBI did not open an investigation in Michigan, where the abuse occurred and where Nassar was still working at Michigan State University, until October 2016. The FBI did not take action until USA Gymnastics filed a new complaint about the inactivity, the report said.