INDIANAPOLIS — FBI Director Christopher Wray addressed the department's failures in the handling of the Dr. Larry Nassar investigation.
FBI agents in 2015 knew that Nassar was accused of assaulting gymnasts, but they failed to act, leaving him free to continue to target young women and girls for more than a year. He pleaded guilty in 2017 and is serving decades in prison.
Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics told local agents in 2015 that three gymnasts said they were assaulted by Nassar, a team doctor. But the FBI did not open a formal investigation or inform federal or state authorities in Michigan, according to the Justice Department’s inspector general. Los Angeles agents in 2016 began a sexual tourism investigation against Nassar and interviewed several victims but also didn’t alert Michigan authorities, the inspector general said.
Nassar wasn’t arrested until the fall of 2016 during an investigation by police at Michigan State University, where he was a doctor. The Michigan attorney general’s office ultimately handled the assault charges against Nassar, while federal prosecutors in Grand Rapids, Michigan, filed a child pornography case.
"Every great organization makes mistakes. What defines them is they learn from those mistakes," Wray said. "And I think we're learning from them and we're hellbent on making sure that what happened or more precisely what did not happen there, doesn't ever occur again."
The FBI later fired the supervisory special agent who had interviewed Maroney in 2015. The Justice Department’s inspector general had harshly criticized that agent and his former boss — the agent in charge of the Indianapolis office — for their handling of the allegations.
Ninety women and girls, including Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Aly Raisman, are suing the FBI for more than a billion dollars. The Justice Department offered to begin settlement discussions with them last summer.
While in Indianapolis, Wray also emphasized the FBI's work with local law enforcement agencies to address violent crimes.
"It's not just the number of arrests and convictions, but these are the most dangerous people having the most impact on the violent crime problem," Wray said. "So, I think the most dangerous violent criminals out there need to know that if they're engaged in this activity, you have all of us to deal with."
The FBI has a "Safe Streets Task Force" in Indianapolis. It uses monitoring technologies and wire intercepts in violent crimes and drug cases.