Deleted emails. Documents removed in boxes and a suitcase. Lying to investigators. An FBI investigation into Larry Nassar that stalled for seven months.
Those are just a few of the stunning details released Monday in a 233-page investigation commissioned by the U.S. Olympic Committee. Investigators interviewed some 100 people and reviewed more than a million documents, and their findings are damning. One USOC official was fired Monday as a result of the report.
Michigan Radio’s Kate Wells joined Stateside to break down these new revelations, and tell us what they illustrate about how the USOC, USA Gymnastics, and the FBI failed to protect Nassar’s victims.
Wells says there are two ways this investigation reveals a cover up by USA Gymnastics. First was the organization's decision to allow Larry to retire in glory, even though they knew that the FBI was investigating him for allegations of abuse, and had received complaints about the doctor themselves.
"So Nassar got to keep treating patients, and working at MSU and local gyms, and being this sought after doctor that everybody loved. For more than a year," she explained.
Second, the report reveals that Steve Penny, former head of USA Gymnastics, purposefully removed potential evidence from an Olympic training ranch in Texas. Penny declined to speak to investigators, citing attorney-client privilege. He is facing criminal charges for evidence tampering, a charge he denies.
Several USOC and USAG officials face criminal charges. There are currently congressional hearings and investigations into who knew what, and when. The FBI is also conducting an internal review.
Listen to the full conversation above to hear more about how silence and inaction from USOC and USAG allowed Nassar to continue to abuse gymnasts, and how Nassar survivors are reacting to the report.
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