A year after his fatal stabbing inside a prison, Larry Nassar, the notorious child molester and Olympic gymnastics doctor, still bears physical scars from the attack, and prison officials say other inmates are trying to take advantage of him as a “weak” man.
“He came here looking like a victim and acting like a victim,” said a warden at FCI Coleman, the federal prison in Florida where Nassar was held from 2018 to 2023.
“He was an easy target. They called him a ‘little devil’ and treated him like a doormat. And as far as I know, that’s still going on in his new prison. He’s vulnerable and he’s in danger every day.”
The threat could grow even more as the Paris Olympics will feature the USA gymnastics team, whose former members were targeted by Nassar. Simone Biles, who won gold in the all-around on Thursday, is one of the athletes who have spoken publicly about being abused by Nassar.
“Many of the athletes have not been able to contact their families and they look up to the Olympians,” the security guard said.
“They’re fans. And he’s hated for what he’s done, not just to little girls, but to brave little girls.”
Nassar’s sentence at FCI Coleman ends in 2023, when he will be transferred to FCI Lewisburg, a medium-security prison in Pennsylvania.
The disgraced former doctor was transferred to the new facility after his cellmate, Shane McMillan, stabbed the serial sexual abuser multiple times in his cell and nearly killed him last July, saying Nassar had wanted to ogle female tennis players at Wimbledon.
“McMillan got angry,” said a security guard who witnessed the aftermath of the attack. “It’s unseemly to see a repeat molester say something like that. McMillan reprimanded him.”
Nassar suffered wounds to his back, chest, torso and arms, required dozens of stitches and still bears stab wounds, sources told The Post.
Nassar, who is serving a 40- to 175-year sentence after being convicted in state and federal courts, admitted to sexually assaulting athletes while working at Michigan State University and for USA Gymnastics, the Indianapolis-based organization that oversees the Olympic gymnastics team. He also pleaded guilty in a separate case to possessing child sexual abuse images.
Many prominent athletes, including Olympians Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney, helped bring down the psychopathic doctor by going public with horrific allegations of sexual abuse.
Some inmates alleged that Nassar offered sexual favours to Mexican gang members, but prison guards said the relationships were likely more financial than sexual.
“When weaker people need protection, there are two things they can give them: sex or money,” the guard argues. “He had money and he bought them things, that’s a fact. Now guys may be spreading rumours that he sucked their dicks to humiliate them, but I’d be really surprised if that’s what he did. His currency is money, not sex.”
A spokesman for FCI Lewiston did not immediately respond to a message from The Washington Post seeking comment.
