STORY: The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday said it will pay $138.7 million to hundreds of victims of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar in a settlement that resolves claims the FBI botched the initial investigation into the disgraced sports physician.
U.S. Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and McKayla Maroney were among the victims who publicly criticized the FBI over its handling of the probe.
The women accused the FBI of failing to act on evidence it received in 2015, allowing Nassar to continue sexually abusing young women and girls under his care until he was charged in 2016.
In a statement, lawyers who represented many of the victims said:
"We are proud to have achieved a monumental settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice, that not only secures the recovery the survivors deserve but also holds the DOJ and FBI accountable for their failures."
A report by the DOJ's internal watchdog had uncovered widespread errors by the FBI, including failing to promptly interview potential victims.
The Justice Department opted not to bring criminal charges against the agents involved in the probe.
Here's Biles in 2021 at a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing:
BILES ON 09/15/2021: "To be clear, I blame Larry Nassar and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated his abuse."
Nassar was sentenced in 2017 to 60 years in prison on charges of possessing child sex abuse material.
In 2018, Nassar was sentenced to up to 175 years and 125 years, respectively, in two separate Michigan courts for molesting female gymnasts.
