This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

An elite Michigan sports doctor who possessed images of child abuse imagery and assaulted gymnasts was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in federal prison in one of three criminal cases that ensure he will never be free again.

US district judge Janet Neff followed the government’s recommendation in the case, saying Larry Nassar “should never again have access to children.”

Former USA Gymnastics doctor pleads guilty to sexual assault in third case Read more

Neff said Nassar’s federal sentence won’t start until he completes his sentences for sexual assault. The 54-year-old will get punishments in those two cases in state court in January.

Nassar worked at Michigan State University and at USA Gymnastics, the Indianapolis-based group that trains Olympians. He admits he molested girls with his hands when they sought treatment for hip and back pain.

“Underneath this veneer lurked a predator,” assistant US attorney Sean Lewis said in a court filing.

Olympians Aly Raisman, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas say they were victims when Nassar worked for USA Gymnastics and accompanied them at workouts or international events.

Nassar is a “monster” who “left scars on my psyche that may never go away,” Maroney said in a letter to Neff.

In a court filing, defense lawyers said Nassar “deeply regrets the pain that he has caused the community.”

The child abuse imagery was discovered last year when Nassar was being investigated for assault.

Aside from the criminal cases, more than 100 women and girls are suing Nassar. Michigan State and USA Gymnastics are defendants in many of the lawsuits.