Prosecutor responds to claims Larry Nassar was among 20,000 people removed from sex offender list
Warning: This article contains discussion of sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Michigan state police have issued a statement to claims Larry Nassar was among 20,000 people removed from the state's Sex Offender Registry List.
The Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office explained in a post on Facebook that offenders who committed crimes before 2011 would no longer need to register due to a recent Michigan Supreme Court ruling that made changes to the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA).
The act, which was first introduced in 2021, recently went through amendments after the ruling on September 9.
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As a result, Michigan State Police removed some 20,000 criminals from the sex offenders list, after they committed their crimes before July 1, 2011.
Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said in a statement: "The Michigan supreme court’s decision to eliminate Sora requirements for these offenders is deeply concerning.
"Our community, along with the victims of these crimes, expected the registry to provide a measure of protection and awareness – assurances that have now been removed by the court’s ruling."
The office even shared a screenshot on social media showing a search for Nassar's name and returning zero results.
However, in a statement on Friday (October 2), Michigan state police dismissed claims the disgraced doctor had been removed from the list.
"Information suggesting that convicted sex offender Nassar was removed from the sex offender registry by the Michigan state police because of the Smith decision is incorrect," the statement read .
As per the Guardian, it continued: "Offenders not currently domiciled, temporarily residing, working, incarcerated or going to school in Michigan do not have the duty to register in Michigan under [Sora], and would not be visible on Michigan’s public sex offender registry.
"Should the offender later domicile, temporarily reside, work or go to school in Michigan, they would be expected to register and be placed on Michigan’s public [sex offender registry] if still required under Sora at that time."
Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years behind bars after being found guilty of sexually abusing women and girls over a number of years at Michigan State University and as a Team USA Gymnastics doctor in the Olympics.
More than 150 women and girls have accused Nassar of assault, including Olympic gold medallists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org
Callum Jones