Vic Ryckaert | IndyStar

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how the Indianapolis office of the FBI handled sexual abuse allegations against former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The inspector general's investigation comes after an internal FBI review found it took at least nine months before agents opened a formal investigation into gymnasts' complaints, the paper reported.

The Journal cited unnamed sources, some of whom said they were interviewed by the Justice Department.

At issue, the paper reported, are reports that the Indianapolis FBI field office was informed in July 2015 about claims against Nassar but the agency didn't open a formal case until spring 2016 by agents in Los Angeles.

Citing a person familiar with the matter, the Journal reported that investigators are reviewing the Indianapolis FBI office’s 2015 dealings with the gymnasts. In September of 2015, the Journal reported, an agent in Indianapolis spoke with former Olympian McKayla Maroney over the phone about her allegations of abuse by Nassar.

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Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal reported that investigators are also looking into correspondence between former USA Gymnastics CEO Steve Penny and agents in Indianapolis and Los Angeles. In particular, the Journal reported, the investigators are looking for Penny’s communications with the former special agent in charge of the Indianapolis office, W. Jay Abbott, who retired in January.

In the fall of 2015, the paper reported, agents in Indianapolis handed the case off to the Detroit field office, but neither opened a formal investigation. Los Angeles agents opened a case eight months later, the Journal reported.

Wednesday's revelation comes a day after Kerry Perry resigned after nine months as USA Gymnastics CEO. Perry was under heavy criticism for failing to help the organization rebound from the Nassar scandal.

Nassar is serving an effective life sentence after pleading guilty to sexual abuse and child pornography charges. More than 300 athletes have said Nassar sexually abused them under the guise of performing medical procedures.

The USA gymnastics scandal was revealed in March 2016, when IndyStar published its "Out of Balance" series that investigated USA Gymnastics' broken policies for handling sexual abuse. The series prompted three women to contact IndyStar reporters with allegations against Nassar. IndyStar reported two of the women's stories in September 2016, more than a year after USA Gymnastics was notified of athlete concerns about its longtime team physician.