Larry Nassar's Gymnastics Victims to Receive Nearly $139 Million from DOJ for Botched FBI Investigation

“These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset," Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer admitted Tuesday

The Department of Justice announced Tuesday that it will pay nearly $139 million to the victims of disgraced former Team USA gymnastics doctor and convicted sex offender Larry Nassar over the FBI's mishandling of the case.

The DOJ released a statement Tuesday announcing it “has settled 139 administrative claims arising from allegations of sexual abuse committed by” Nassar.

Nassar, who pleaded guilty to several counts of sexual assault in 2018 and was sentenced to 175 years in prison, was accused by more than 150 women and girls of sexually abusing them under the guise of medical treatment.

The list of accusers included the likes of former Team USA gymnasts such as Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas.

Raisman, Biles, Maroney and former world champion gymnast Maggie Nichols all testified on Capitol Hill in 2021 about the FBI’s investigation into Nassar. The group of survivors, which included the four gymnasts, had sued the federal government for more than $1 billion over the FBI’s handling of the case, the Associated Press previously reported.

“It is time for the FBI to be held accountable,” Nichols said at the time, according to the AP.

In July 2021, the Justice Department's inspector general released a report that chided the FBI’s investigation into allegations of abuse, laying out a case that showed Nassar continued his abuse while the FBI mishandled complaints lodged against him.

Related: Inside Larry Nassar's Life in Prison After Disgraced Gymnastics Coach Is Stabbed

Nassar was fired by USA Gymnastics in 2015 after allegations first surfaced that year, igniting a years-long scandal against the disgraced medical official. Months later, Nassar was fired by Michigan State, where he also worked as a sports doctor.

He was arrested by Michigan State University police in 2016.

The DOJ notes in its statement Tuesday that Nassar was able to sexually abuse “hundreds of victims” throughout nearly two decades while working as a medical professional for USA Gymnastics, where he began working in 1986.

Related: Larry Nassar Survivors to Receive an Additional $380 Million Settlement After Years-Long Lawsuit Battle

The DOJ said in its news release Tuesday that its nearly $139 million in settlements in response to 139 claims “will resolve” the claims made against the United States government over the botched FBI investigation.

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“For decades, Lawrence Nassar abused his position, betraying the trust of those under his care and medical supervision while skirting accountability,” Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer said in a statement. “These allegations should have been taken seriously from the outset. While these settlements won’t undo the harm Nassar inflicted, our hope is that they will help give the victims of his crimes some of the critical support they need to continue healing.”

Related: Disgraced Former Gymnastics Doctor Larry Nassar Stabbed in Prison

Michigan State University previously agreed to pay $500 million to more than 300 of Nassar’s victims in 2018, and set aside $75 million more in case additional victims came forward. PEOPLE previously reported that USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee also agreed to a $380 million settlement for Nassar’s victims in 2021.

Nassar is serving his sentence at the United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida, where he was stabbed by a fellow inmate in July 2023.

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