EAST LANSING — William Strampel, former Dean of MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, was arraigned on one felony and three misdemeanor charges in district court in East Lansing Tuesday.

The 70-year-old Strampel, who was arrested Monday after Michigan State Police apprehended him at his home in DeWitt, is the former boss of Larry Nassar, who is serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison for sexually abusing hundreds of women over the course of two decades during his time as a physician at MSU. Strampel has been a focal point of the Michigan attorney general’s investigation into MSU’s handling of the Nassar case, and is charged with having used his office “to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition, and sexually assault female students.”

On Tuesday, Strampel appeared from Ingham County Jail via videoconference. His bond was set at $25,000 and came with the conditions that he not travel out of state, engage with any witnesses or have contact with any current or former medical students at MSU.

Included among the charges against Strampel are the allegations that Strampel “abused the authority of his public office, through threats and manipulation, to solicit, receive, and possess pornographic images of women who appear to be MSU students.”

Special Independent Counsel Bill Forsyth, in a press conference in Lansing on Tuesday, revealed that as part of the investigation into Strampel, his team executed a search warrant on February 2 to seize his University-issued computer, cell phone and calendar, as well as certain documents relating to Strampel.

“We had asked [MSU] for a lot of documents and a lot of information, but before they responded, we received a credible tip with respect to Dean Strampel, which we felt was time-sensitive,” Forsyth said of the raid, which took place in Fee Hall on MSU’s campus.

The subsequent forensic examination of the seized devices and documents revealed “approximately 50 photos of bare vaginas, nude and semi-nude women, sex toys and pornography.” According to the affidavit, forensic examination “shows that someone attempted to delete some of the photos contained in a file folder on the computers hard drive.” Strampel’s work computer also contained pornographic videos and a video of Nassar performing “treatment” on a young female patient.

The charges against Strampel are just the latest development in the investigation into MSU’s handling of Nassar and related incidents, and is being cited as further evidence that MSU’s campus culture was one of silence and toxicity when it came to sexual assault.

One of the women who came forward to file a criminal complaint against Strampel said she was initially hesitant to do so because she feared he exerted power over her education and could potentially derail her career. Nicole Eastman, identified in the affidavit as V-4 or Victim 4, has since agreed to be publicly identified, detailing what her experience was like with Strampel during her time as a medical student at MSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Eastman, now 36 years old and living abroad in Grand Cayman Island after receiving her D.O. in 2010, said her first encounter with Strampel made her uncomfortable and foreshadowed allegations of his inappropriate and coercive behavior.

“He was standing next to me, to my right, I can vividly remember this, and he was telling me … how it’s easier to get women to have sex [if you] get them drunk because women are lacking an enzyme that men have, so it makes it less easy for alcohol to be digested. And I remember feeling uncomfortable. The conversation I was having, it just felt very awkward,” Eastman recalled in a recent telephone conversation with The Athletic. “What do you say when it’s the dean of your medical school that’s talking to you about how it’s easy to get women drunk and in bed?”

Eastman said she was also bothered by a subsequent conversation she had with Strampel, in which she said he bragged about a student who visited his office “begging and crying” for forgiveness after having been caught cheating. She told an MSU faculty member about these conversations and was counseled that “everyone knows about him” and told that “nothing ever happens.” An email to that faculty member asking for comment was not returned.

“That kind of left a [bad] taste in my mouth,” Eastman said. “Because if you’re having these experiences with the dean and everyone knows and nothing happens, you really don’t have a voice, it seems.”

Strampel’s inappropriate behavior only escalated, however. Eastman said Strampel touched her inappropriately during her fourth year as a medical student at the Michigan Osteopathic College Foundation ball in Dearborn in February 2010.

“I was by the dance floor and Dean Strampel came up behind me and grabbed my butt in front of his wife and MSU faculty members. Some of my classmates were there and my now-husband was there. And nobody said anything to him,” Eastman said. “I remember feeling humiliated.”

Eastman is not the only former medical student to come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Strampel. Another student, identified in the affidavit as V-2 [Victim 2], said she was attending a special dinner at MSU’s University Club to honor recipients of a scholarship, and was asked to get her picture taken with the scholarship fund donor and Strampel. According to the affidavit, while Victim 2 “stood next to Strampel waiting for the picture to be taken, Strampel reached around and grabbed V-2’s left buttock and gripped it firmly.”

Months later, the woman said Strampel approached her at a luncheon and “slowly looked her up and down from her face to her crotch, finally focusing on her chest.” When the woman grew uncomfortable and asked Strampel to focus on her face, he responded by telling her that “eye candy is eye candy.”

Strampel stepped down from his role as Dean of MSU’s COM back in December of 2017, citing medical reasons, though MSU is currently in the process of terminating his employment. In one of his first significant moves following his appointment as MSU interim president, John Engler announced on February 9 that he was taking the initial step to revoke Strampel’s tenure.

Former MSU Dean of College of Osteopathic Medicine William Strampel was arraigned on one felony and three misdemeanor charges via videoconference on Tuesday. (Photo by Katie Strang/The Athletic)

Strampel’s attorney, John Dakmak disputed several elements of the charges against his client and said that Strampel was compliant in dealing with the 2014 Title IX investigation into Nassar’s sexual abuse. Strampel was Nassar’s superior at the time and reportedly allowed him to return to work before the University’s investigation was completed.

“The idea that my client neglected his duty will be met out in court and we expect to prevail,” Strampel’s attorney John Dakmak said following Tuesday’s arraignment. “We look forward to our day in court.”

MSU spokesperson Emily Guerrant released a statement on behalf of Engler when emailed for comment Tuesday:

“Michigan State University continues to cooperate with all on-going investigations. We started the process in early February to remove William Strampel from the university and revoke his tenure. Our action sent a clear and unmistakable message that we will remove employees who do not treat students, faculty, or any member of our community in an ethical and proper fashion.

“Today’s charges confirm our belief that he has fallen far short of what is expected and required from academic leadership. It is evident that Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we require from leaders at MSU, particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety.

“His failings are unacceptable and that is why our work to change procedures, strengthen accountability and prevent sexual misconduct is so important. While the crimes of one doctor and the misconduct of his dean do not represent our university, they do demand the scrutiny of everyone in order to assure individuals like these can never be in a position to harm others.”

In response to questions emailed by The Athletic, Guerrant stands behind the university’s repeated claims that MSU was unaware of Nassar’s actions until 2016.

“No one at MSU believed Larry Nassar was a sexual predator prior to the summer of 2016 when media first reported on this issue,” Guerrant said.

Additionally, Guerrant told The Athletic that the university is not providing Strampel legal counsel nor is the university paying for any of the related legal costs.

Among the most vocal about Strampel’s behavior at MSU is survivor Rachael Denhollander, who was the first woman to publicly come forward about Nassar’s abuse. In her victim impact statement made in Ingham County Court, Denhollander detailed Strampel’s inaction and attempts to discredit her, stating that Strampel circulated a video of her graphically describing her assault and forwarded it to the MSU provost and “mocked it.”

“He called it the cherry on the cake of his day,” she said.

Prior to Tuesday’s press conference, Denhollander shared these comments via her personal Twitter account:

“Larry’s boss was a sexual predator too. Vile things in his personnel file, and no one at MSU DID ANYTHING. Hundreds of little girls paid the price. Tomorrow MSU files another motion to dismiss all claims, denying liability for everything.”

Denhollander, along with several other survivors, criticized MSU for its lack of empathy and concern in the way the university has treated victims and handled reports of Nassar’s abuse. Eastman says that, given her experience with Strampel, she’s not surprised that the university is facing a public outcry for its handling of the Nassar case.

“When people talk about MSU having a culture of silence, I completely agree,” Eastman said.

Eastman believes that Strampel’s actions only enabled Nassar; she said that she feels that because Strampel knew taking a hard-line stance on the former USA Gymnastics team doctor could prompt scrutiny about his own behavior, he instead remained silent. Ultimately, that’s part of what compelled her to come forward.

“I just think about the fact that I was a medical student and I was paying a lot of money to earn my degree and I was working really hard,” said Eastman, who no longer practices medicine. “I shouldn’t have had to experience that. You shouldn’t have to feel like there’s no safe place to go.”

Eastman, when reached by telephone following Strampel’s arraignment Tuesday afternoon, said she initially feared being misjudged for someone forward, but ultimately felt compelled to shed light on what Strampel had done to her and others: “ It was the right thing to do, “ she said. “No healing comes through silence.”

[Editor’s note: A majority of our work at The Athletic is behind a paywall. Here’s why. But we’ve decided that all of Katie Strang’s coverage of the Nassar trial should be free to the public. If this kind of journalism is important to you, the best way to support Katie in her work is to subscribe at the bottom of this story. Thank you for reading.]

(AP Photo of Special Independent counsel Bill Forsyth and members of the investigative team/Paul Sancya)