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Justice Department report critical of FBI's slow response
to Larry Nassar allegations
Tim Evans
Indianapolis Star
The Department of Justice Inspector General issued a report today criticizing the FBI's initial response to 2015 sexual abuse allegations against longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.
"Senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to allegations of sexual abuse of athletes by former USA Gymnastics physician Lawrence Gerard Nassar with the urgency that the allegations required," the inspectors general's office said in a statement.
"We also found that the FBI Indianapolis Field Office made fundamental errors when it did respond to the allegations, failed to notify the appropriate FBI field office (the Lansing Resident Agency) or state or local authorities of the allegations, and failed to take other steps to mitigate the ongoing threat posed by Nassar."
The statement added: "The OIG further found that, when the FBI’s handling of the Nassar matter came under scrutiny from the public, Congress, the media, and FBI headquarters in 2017 and 2018, Indianapolis Field Office officials did not take responsibility for their failures. Instead, they provided incomplete and inaccurate information to make it appear that they had been diligent in responding to the sexual abuse allegations. "
The report finally revealed what the agency's investigation apparently languished for nearly a year after Nassar was first reported to officials in the FBI's Indianapolis office. During that time, Nassar continued to molest young girls under the guise of medical treatment.
Nassar's reign of sexual abuse was first publicly exposed in September 2016 by an IndyStar investigation.
Larry Nassar, 54, appeared in court for a plea hearing in Lansing, Mich., on Nov. 22, 2017. Nasser, a former sports doctor, pleaded guilty to multiple charges of sexual assault.
The inspector general's investigation began in 2018, following an internal FBI review of the delay before agents opened a formal investigation into the complaints raised in June 2015 by elite-level gymnasts, including Aly Raisman and Maggie Nichols.
Nassar was ultimately charged and convicted of child sexual abuse in Michigan state court. He also pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges that spun out of the investigation by police at Michigan State University.
The FBI's delay in investigating the 2015 allegations has long been a point of contention for survivors. In June 2020,, a group sent a letter to the justice department asking why it had not released its report on the FBI’s handling of the case.
“It is clear that the FBI failed to protect our nation’s finest athletes and many other vulnerable children and young women from a vicious sexual predator," said the letter to Michael Horowitz, the Inspector General, that was signed by more than 120 Nassar survivors. "But we still do not know who exactly in the FBI participated in the cover up and whether misconduct reached into the higher ranks of the Justice Department.”
Among those signing the letter were Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber and Madison Kocian, plus NCAA champion Nichols. Nichols was the first gymnast to report Nassar to USA Gymnastics and was the central character in the 2020 Netflix documentary Athlete A.
"The victims and the public should rest assured our findings will be made public at the end of our investigation," Stephanie Logan, a spokesperson for the Inspector General's office, said in June.
Nassar is serving a 60-year sentence in federal prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges in 2017. He also faces 40 to 125 years on the state sex charges in Michigan. More than 500 women and girls have now alleged they were sexually assaulted by Nassar, a doctor of osteopathic medicine who also taught and worked at a sports medicine clinic at Michigan State University while serving as the USA Gymnastics team doctor.
Steve Penny, former president of Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, reported allegations of sexual abuse by Nassar to W. Jay Abbott, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis office, on July 27, 2015.
During the FBI’s initial steps in the investigation, Penny and Abbott also discussed the possibility of Abbott becoming the U.S. Olympic Committee’s chief of security after his retirement from the FBI, according to emails. In 2018, Penny's attorney Edith Matthai confirmed the conversation took place, but told IndyStar "any suggestion that Steve had the conversation with Abbott in order to impact the FBI investigation is false and defamatory."
Sure, Edith, I believe you! Thousands of others might not, but I believe you.
Penny was forced to resign in 2017 after it was revealed he waited about five weeks to inform the FBI of the initial allegations USA Gymnastics had received about Nassar on June 17, 2015.
When Drake Bell and the Stars Exploit the Audience
to Sexually Abuse Minors
donald dosman
5 hours ago
Texas News Today
I apologize for the writing on this story. I don't know what language it was translated from but I hope you can make sense of it.
Drake Bell, a former star on the popular Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh, was sentenced to two years of probation on Monday after pleading guilty to endangering a child associated with a girl he met online.
Bell joins the ranks of other celebrities associated with a healthy brand accused of sexual misconduct with minors. Former “That’s So Raven” star Kyle Massey was charged with felony this month for sending pornographic material to a 13-year-old girl. In 2019, Stoney Westmoreland, who played her grandfather on Disney Channel’s Andi Mack, was arrested for federal crime for seducing a 13-year-old boy into sex. The proceedings are ongoing.
On social media, popular influencers with millions of young followers have also been accused of improper contact with minors. Earlier this year, a teenage boy said 21-year-old YouTube make-up artist James Charles had taken care of him and forced him to exchange photos on Snapchat. Charles later admitted cheating and apologized. (!???)
The general public does not want to believe in the bad things of people who show healthy qualities, such as Disney stars, religious people, and “family members.” However, these examples emphasize that public identity is not a useful indicator of whether someone can commit abuse. Celebrities who commit sexual violence can take advantage of access to younger audiences and parental trust in related brands.
“Parents are ready and even young people are ready to find certain warning signs, but abusers can take advantage of their general perception, personality, credible image, and access to young people. When people are far more secret,“ he said. Laura Parumbo, Communication Director, National Center for Sexual Violence Resources.
“This is a great foundation of trust and praise, just as when children were abused by their esteemed coaches and teachers …. Celebrity and fame status is ours from the potential for harm May distract. Abuse more than anyone you might see in your community’s sex criminal registration. “ (???)
When Judge Timothy McCormick ruled Bell on Monday, he appeared skeptical of his disadvantages.
“Your position and celebrity status have allowed you to foster this relationship,” McCormick said. “You have access to this kid. You have gained the trust of this kid. I hope you really regret it. I don’t know.”
Sexual violence experts say people want to believe that it’s easy to identify predators. People tend to think of predators as dominant and aggressive figures, but many perpetrators, including healthy stars, do not fit stereotypes. Experts say they don’t want to believe that someone with the qualities that people respect can do such malicious harm.
Nicole Bedera, who studies gender and sexuality with an emphasis on college sexual violence, said: “But in reality, all people who engage in sexual violence are kind to some.”
Bell’s victim said he initially felt loved and protected by him during an online chat. She felt trapped when his actions made her uncomfortable.
“I was arguably one of his biggest fans,” she said. “I would have done anything for him.”
Palumbo said the perpetrators’ decisions often did not reflect the nature of their crimes or the degree of trauma of the victims. She said that within the legal system, the options for holding someone accountable are limited.
“At the social level, when these legal consequences of compromise and advancing legal proceedings are obtained, it fosters misunderstandings of the general public and empowers those who commit abuse,” she says. I did.
In 2019, Shane Piche admitted to raping a 14-year-old girl on a school bus she (he?) drove. Michael Wysolovski has allowed teenage girls to remain in sexual confinement for over a year. Two separate judges in two separate states ruled that neither would go to jail.
The ruling causes anger between survivors and supporters of sexual assault as well, and states that such a mild ruling can have dangerous consequences.
“For most survivors, the effects of crime feel like life imprisonment. So why don’t the perpetrators spend a day in prison?” Law firm Cohen & Milstein’s sexual abuse, sex Michael Dolce, a lawyer who leads a trafficking and domestic violence team, asked. “Where is justice in it?
Bell briefly spoke before the decision on Monday via Zoom. “I accept this plea because my behavior was wrong,” Bell said. “I’m sorry for harming the victim. That wasn’t my intention.”
Palumbo said the perpetrators claimed they did not intend to do any harm as a way to minimize abuse. It is part of a guide to saving one’s reputation, by talking about how the incident affected them and their families, and by making themselves humanized and friendly. It also includes asking for sympathy.
On the same day as the ruling, Bell returned to Instagram to share a video of himself playing the piano and singing “It’s Never Last Call” and “I Know.” The little son was sitting on his lap. He captioned the video “Father Sonjam sesh” and shared the fan reaction to it in the Instagram story.
“The important thing that the general public understands is that the abused people are trying to maintain their personality, their relationships, and in some cases their livelihoods,” Palumbo said.
Bell faced prison time, but instead provided 200 hours of community service and continued probation for two years.
In a statement on Monday, Bell’s lawyer, Ian Friedman, said: He is once again looking forward to playing for all his supportive fans around the world. “
The victim wanted something different.
“The pain the defendant caused to me is indescribable, and it gets worse every day,” she told the court. “He proudly committed these crimes against me. Defendants who clearly do not feel regret for his crimes deserve the greatest possible sentence. I will never forget what he did to me. I idolized and respected him. I broke it in the most unpleasant way possible …. I am worth better. “
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, RAINN will provide support through the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800.656.HOPE & online.rainn.org).
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Ron Brierley told 'You may no longer use the title Sir'
- paper trail shows business titan's fall from grace
15 Jul, 2021 04:12 PM
Ron Brierley in 2015 (second from right) meeting the Queen, who has accepted his resignation as a Knight.
By: David Fisher
Senior writer, NZ Herald
Shamed business titan Ron Brierley was told he could jump instead of being pushed when it came to losing his knighthood, documents released under the Official Information Act have revealed.
And he did just that, with an email on May 3 in which he said: "I wish to advise that I resign my appointment as a Knight Bachelor. It has been a tremendous privilege to hold a New Zealand Royal Honour.
"However, I do not want to bring the system into disrepute by actions that I have acknowledged and to which I have entered pleas of guilty in an Australian Court."
The actions to which Brierley referred was his possession of child sexual abuse material, found by Australian Border Force officials in December 2019 as he prepared to board a flight from Sydney to Fiji.
The discovery set in chain events that ended with guilty pleas on March 31 this year to three charges of possession of child sex abuse material, in which he admitted having tens of thousands of images of girls in swimwear and underwear in sexually suggestive poses.
Brierley also pleaded guilty to possession of a single more intrusive image and having graphic stories that detailed illegal sexual acts on minors.
That guilty plea set in train events leading to Brierley resigning from the knighthood awarded in 1988 for services to business and philanthropy.
There is more on this story on the NZ Herald.
Australian singer known as Jimmy Beloved jailed for 21 years
for sexually abusing young fans
Former band frontman and lead singer Daniel Hanson was sentenced to at least 21 years in prison for persistent sexual abuse of a child and sexual intercourse with a person between the age of 14 and 16.
Australian Associated Press
Thu 15 Jul 2021 12.25 BST
A predatory lead singer in a band who sexually abused numerous young girls in Australia has been jailed for at least 21 years.
Daniel Hanson, a member of popular Newcastle bands We Built Atlantis and Falling for Beloved, pleaded guilty to a string of offences relating to his sexual abuse of 14 victims aged between 12 and 22 from 2005 to 2014.
They included charges of persistent sexual abuse of a child and sexual intercourse with a person between the age of 14 and 16.
The now 34-year-old began his offending when he was 18 and continued his repeated abuse until he was 27.
In the NSW district court on Thursday, Judge Penelope Hock jailed him for 28 years with a non-parole period of 21 years.
Hanson used the stage name Jimmy Beloved and played gigs in Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
His continuous and predatory conduct usually started with meeting a victim at a gig, before obtaining her phone number and sending messages which then developed into ones of a sexual nature and often included nude photos.
He would meet up with the flattered girls, sometimes in parks, and make them engage in sexual acts. He would tell them not to tell anyone but gave them compliments such as “you were amazing”. He would praise their looks and sent one teenager song lyrics saying they reminded him of her.
“No victim impact statements are required to understand the devastating long-term consequences of sexual assaults on children,” the judge said.
However, the statements provided and read by some complainants described the impact of Hanson’s offending including self-harm attempts, feelings of worthlessness, depression, panic attacks and nightmares.
One victim said she had been underage when they would have sex two or three times a week for more than three months before he left after an argument.
“The encounters were horrible for me,” she said. “I was brainwashed into believing this was special.”
Another victim said the term “bestie” now made her feel sick and caused flashbacks to the sexual abuse. When she was 12 and he was 22, Hanson said if they were going to be besties, they had to do “bestie things”.
“You are so cute and little,” he told her.
Hock said all the victims were to be commended for their courage in coming forward.
“He did not give evidence but has written a letter of apology in which he accepted responsibility and expressed remorse,” the judge said.
She gave Hanson a 25% sentence discount for his guilty pleas.
She noted that the material before her showed he ceased his sexual offending when he was 27, five years before his arrest, which was evidence of some rehabilitation.
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