Former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Thursday for child pornography.

Nassar, 54, who is also facing sentencing for sexually assaulting members of the women's Olympics gymnastics team, pleaded guilty in July to three counts of possessing child pornography.

The pornography, which included more than 37,000 of images and videos depicting children as young as infants, was discovered last year while Nassar was under investigation for assault.

He was given 20 years in prison on each count by a judge at a court hearing in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

'This is very difficult, as you can imagine, standing here,' Nassar said in court on Thursday.

'I've been battling with this, obviously for a considerable period of time. It's something, your honor, I'm very ashamed of... I've lost everything because of this... You wonder how I got down this path to begin with.'

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Larry Nassar was sentenced to 60 years in prison on Thursday for child pornography. He's pictured above in November

'He has demonstrated that he should never again have access to children,' U.S. District Judge Janet Neff said.

'You have to wonder whether he felt he was omnipotent, whether he felt he was getting away with something so cleverly,' Neff added.

They said he 'deeply regrets the pain that he has caused the community.'

Nassar has also pleaded guilty to 10 counts of sexual assault in two other cases in Michigan, admitting that he abused young athletes under the guise of offering medical treatment.

Olympic Gold Medalist McKayla Maroney is one of the women to come forward and accuse Nassar of assault (the two pictured above at a competition in this undated file photo)

Maroney's teammates Gabby Douglas (left) and Aly Raisman (right) also said they were abused by Nassar

He is set to be sentenced in those cases in January.

Olympic gold medalists McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas have said they were among the members of the USA Gymnastics team assaulted by Nassar when he served as team doctor.

He could face life in prison when he is sentenced on those charges next month.

Nassar is set to be sentenced in January for sexual assault

Nassar was the team physician for the Michigan State University gymnastics and women's crew teams, as well as an associate professor at MSU's College of Osteopathic Medicine. He served as the USA Gymnastics physician through four Olympic Games.

'He abused my trust, he abused my body and he left scars on my psyche that may never go away,' Olympic gold medalist McKayla Maroney said in a victim statement submitted to Neff and published online.

She added that the years-long abuse nearly drove her to suicide.

Nassar's attorneys had asked the federal judge for leniency in court filings, arguing Nassar had helped fellow inmates and taken Bible classes since his arrest nearly a year ago, the State Journal said.

In addition to the criminal cases against Nassar, more than 100 women and girls are suing him.