Thirteen survivors of sexual abuse by Larry Nassar have filed claims against the FBI for $130 million—$10 million each—in response to what they say is the bureau's botched investigation of the now incarcerated USA Gymnastics team doctor.
Attorney Jamie White, who is representing the 13 female accusers, said in a statement to E! News, "We spend so much energy and resources encouraging children to come forward when they have been abused, so the fact that people came forward to the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world and were rebuffed—it's a slap in the face."
White called the case "the largest failure on the part of law enforcement in the history of the world as it pertains to the protection of children."
Among other things, the claims allege that the FBI failed to properly document and handle evidence, including victim interviews, and did not respond to the allegations against Nassar with urgency.
In 2018, the former U.S.A Gymnastics doctor was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for sexually abusing dozens of young female gymnasts—including Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, Madison Kocian and Kyla Ross—under the guise of medical treatment. It is unclear if they are among the victims who filed claims. In one obtained by E! News, the claimant's name is redacted.
The 13 administrative tort claims, filed on April 21, are similar. In one obtained by E! News, it is alleged that one of the victims suffered "significant and irreparable personal injury at the hands of Nassar following the FBI Indianapolis Field Office's lackluster investigation and failure to follow strict protocol and procedures outlined by the DOJ [Department of Justice]."
The claim states, "If not for the employees of the FBI's negligence, gross negligence, wrongful acts, and omissions, [the victim] would have been spared from continued physical trauma and abuse, subsequent mental anguish, and emotional trauma."
The FBI now has six months to respond to the claims. If the agency does not reach a settlement within that span of time, the victims will have the ability to file suit in civil court.
E! News has reached out to the FBI for comment but hasn't heard back yet.
This isn't the first time the FBI has been taken to task for its handling of the case. Last July, a 119-page Justice Department report criticized the bureau's investigation into the allegations against Nassar, stating that the FBI's field office in Indianapolis "failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies."
The FBI did not comment at the time on the report. But at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing in September, FBI Director Christopher Wray issued a public apology to Nasser's victims, saying, "On behalf of the entire FBI, I want to begin by saying to the brave women who testified here this morning—Ms. Biles, Ms. Maroney, Ms. Nichols, and Ms. Raisman—and I gather there were some others here today who were among the many who Nasser hurt, I'm deeply and profoundly sorry to each and every one of you."
He continued, "I'm sorry for what you and your families have been through. I'm sorry that so many different people let you down, over and over again. And I'm especially sorry that there were people at the FBI who had their own chance to stop this monster back in in 2015 and failed. And that's inexcusable. It never should have happened. And we're doing everything in our power to make sure it never happens again."
In October, the Justice Department launched a new investigation to review its earlier decision not to prosecute two FBI agents accused of misconduct in the case, both of whom no longer work for the bureau. One of them, Michael Langeman, was fired after the release of the Justice Department report, NBC News had reported. The other, FBI Indianapolis head Jay Abbott—his boss, retired several years ago. Neither has commented on the controversy.