Larry Nassar removed from Michigan's sex offender registry over legal technicality
A Michigan supreme court ruling barring retroactive application of the state's sex offender registration law has resulted in former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar and more than 20,000 other convicted offenders being removed from the state's registry.
Larry Nassar, the disgraced former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics physician convicted of sexually abusing girls and women for decades under the guise of medical treatment, has disappeared from Michigan's sex offender registry as a result of a legal technicality affecting thousands of other convicted offenders.
On 9 September, the Michigan supreme court determined that the state's sex offender registration act cannot be applied retroactively to offenses committed before a specific date set out in the law. Following that ruling, Michigan state police removed more than 20,000 people whose crimes occurred before 1 July 2011 from the agency's public database.
Nassar, 63, was among those removed. The Eaton county prosecuting attorney's office, one of the agencies that prosecuted him, confirmed his absence from the registry by sharing a screenshot showing a search for his name returning no results.
In a statement, the prosecutor's office said it was deeply troubled by the court's decision to lift registration requirements for these offenders, noting that the community and victims had counted on the registry to provide protection and awareness that has now been stripped away. The office added that while it disagrees with the ruling and is concerned about the risk it may create, it is obligated to comply.
Michigan's legislature cannot overturn the state supreme court's decision, but lawmakers could pass new legislation to restore the removed offenders to the database.
Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to as much as 175 years in combined state and federal prison after being convicted of sexually abusing women and girls for decades while employed at Michigan State University and serving as a physician for the USA Gymnastics team. As of last Friday, his earliest projected release date from his federal sentence was 2068, when he would be 104 years old.
More than 150 women and girls have accused Nassar of assault, including Olympic gold medalists Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas. Nassar pleaded guilty in November 2017 to multiple counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He survived a stabbing attack while incarcerated in July 2023.
