Gymnastics Doctor Who Abused Patients Gets 60 Years
for Child Pornography
for Child Pornography
By MAGGIE ASTOR
Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar, a former team doctor for U.S.A. Gymnastics who has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing gymnasts under the guise of medical treatment, was sentenced on Thursday to 60 years in prison on child pornography charges.
The charges, which stemmed from more than 37,000 images of child pornography found on Dr. Nassar’s computer, are separate from the 10 molestation counts on which sentences will be handed down in January. He pleaded guilty to the pornography charges over the summer, and to the molestation charges in November.
Dr. Nassar, 54, is expected to be sentenced to 25 years or more on the molestation charges. But even without that, he is virtually certain to spend the rest of his life in prison after Janet T. Neff, a federal district judge in Grand Rapids, Mich., imposed three consecutive 20-year sentences in the child pornography case.
Matthew Newburg, a lawyer for Dr. Nassar, declined to comment on Thursday.
The case against Dr. Nassar emerged last year, after an Indianapolis Star investigation found that U.S.A. Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body, had systematically failed to report gymnasts’ allegations of sexual abuse by coaches. Then, in September 2016, The Star published detailed accounts from two former gymnasts who said that, among other sexually abusive behavior, Dr. Nassar had penetrated them with his fingers, claiming it was a treatment for back pain.
Rachael Denhollander
Those two gymnasts — Rachael Denhollander, who was the first to step forward by name, and Jamie Dantzscher, who initially remained anonymous but later spoke out publicly — broke a dam of silence in the sport, more than a year before the #MeToo movement began revealing sexual misconduct by innumerable men in powerful positions. More than 130 women — mostly but not exclusively gymnasts — have now described abuse by Dr. Nassar (who worked both for the national team and for Michigan State University). Among them are at least seven former members of the United States national gymnastics team, including four Olympians.
Jamie Dantzscher
Many of the women submitted victim impact statements to the court before the sentencing on Thursday. Judge Neff ruled last week that they could not be read aloud in the courtroom, but some women shared their statements through other channels.
McKayla Maroney, a 2012 Olympian who came forward in October as one of Dr. Nassar’s victims, wrote in her statement that he “deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.”
“He abused my trust, abused my body and left scars on my psyche that may never heal,” Ms. Maroney wrote, according to ESPN.
And Aly Raisman — the captain of the American women’s gymnastics teams at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, and one of the most outspoken survivors of Dr. Nassar’s abuse — published thousands of words in The Players’ Tribune on Thursday.
“I ask that you give Larry the strongest possible sentence (which his actions deserve), for by doing so, you will send a message to him and to other abusers that they cannot get away with their horrible crimes,” Ms. Raisman, 23, said in her statement. “Maybe knowing that Larry is being held accountable for his abuse will help me and the other survivors feel less alone, like we’re being heard, and open up pathways for healing.”
Because of Dr. Nassar’s abuse, Ms. Raisman wrote, she is frequently afraid: afraid that other doctors will treat her similarly; afraid even that a man will deliver her room service order when she travels.
“I hold the door open as he drops off the food and keep it open until he leaves,” she wrote. “I often wonder if I am hurting their feelings by being so obviously distrusting of them. I always used to give people the benefit of the doubt, but if a decorated doctor who served on the national team for over 30 years turned out to be a monster, then how can I trust anybody?”
Even so, she continued: “I am not a victim. I am a survivor. The abuse does not define me, or anyone else who has been abused.”
Beyond Dr. Nassar himself, the cases have ensnared U.S.A. Gymnastics and many of its top officials, whom lawsuits have accused of turning a blind eye and of fostering toxic environments in which abuse could flourish. Earlier this year, U.S.A. Gymnastics adopted stricter reporting policies in response to an extensive report on its previous failings.
Some gymnasts said it was difficult to feel entirely victorious after the sentencing, because Dr. Nassar was part of a much larger problem.
“Today, the justice feels very incomplete,” Ms. Denhollander said at a news conference on Thursday.
The Stars are Falling - Senator Franken
“Today I am announcing that in the coming weeks I will be resigning as a member of the United States Senate,” Franken said in a speech that lasted 11 minutes.
He did not admit to any of the allegations of sexual misconduct, saying some of them are “simply not true” and he remembers other instances “very differently.”
Franken used the opportunity to lash out at President Donald Trump and GOP Senate candidate in Alabama, Roy Moore, both of whom have been accused by Democrats of sexual assault. Franken said there was "some irony" in the fact that he is resigning while Trump is still in office and Moore is running for a Senate seat with the support of his party.
More than a dozen Senate Democrats called on Franken to resign on Wednesday, after a sixth woman accused him of sexual misconduct. Some analysts have pointed out that Franken's bitter tone suggested he was being forced out by the party, rather than leaving on his own volition.
"I may be resigning my seat, but I am not giving up my voice," Franken said, adding that he will continue to advocate progressive causes as an activist. "I am going to be just fine," he said.
Franken was first elected to the Senate in 2008, with a razor-thin margin of just 300 votes. Before turning to politics, he was a comedian on the popular television show Saturday Night Live.
This is the second time this week that a congressional Democrat was pushed out by claims of sexual misconduct. On Monday, Representative John Conyers Jr. (D-Michigan) said he would retire effective immediately, after serving in the House since 1965.
Jerry Sandusky’s son sentenced to prison
for sexual abuse of girls
BELLEFONTE, Pa. — A son of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky, serving decades for child molestation, was himself sentenced to prison Friday on child sexual abuse charges.
Jeffrey Sandusky was sentenced to 3½ to 7 years in prison after pleading guilty to pressuring a teenage girl to send him naked photos and asking her teen sister to perform a sex act.
Jeffrey Sandusky, 42, pleaded guilty on the eve of his trial in September to 14 counts, charges that included solicitation of statutory sexual assault and solicitation of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
The Centre Daily Times reported Jeffrey Sandusky’s attorney said there was never any physical contact between his client and the victims.
Authorities said he knew the girls through their mother, and that a year ago their father turned over incriminating text messages sent by Jeffrey Sandusky.
A court affidavit said Jeffrey Sandusky told the girl he pressured for photos last year that “it’s not weird because he studied medicine.” He directed her “to not show these texts to anyone,” police said.
Jeffrey Sandusky is one of the six children adopted by Jerry and Dottie Sandusky and has been a stalwart supporter of his father, often attending court proceedings.
He will be on probation for a year after release.
The Corrections Department said Friday that Jeffrey Sandusky was fired as a Rockview State Prison guard late last month. He had been with the agency since August 2015.
Florida man arrested after girlfriend finds video
of child sex abuse
of child sex abuse
By: Brittney Donovan , Action News Jax
A Florida man is facing felony charges after his girlfriend found a video of him sexually abusing a young girl on his tablet.
Lake City police say George Avery, 54, is facing sexual battery, child abuse and child pornography charges.
LCPD said they responded to the McDonald's on Main Blvd. where the mother of the 9-year-old girl and the girlfriend confronted Avery. According to LCPD, Avery was arguing with the two women and trying to take the tablet.
LCPD said Avery's girlfriend was playing games on the tablet at home when she discovered a video of him performing sexual acts with another woman and became upset.
She took the video to her friend to see if she recognized who her boyfriend was cheating with when the friend recognized that her 9-year-old daughter was the female in the video.
LCPD said sexual contact had occurred three or four times.
“It saddens me that this child had to undergo such heinous abuse,” Chief Argatha Gilmore said. “At this point, the child is safely back with her mother. We will work hand-in-hand with DCF to uncover the extent of this abuse.”
Avery is being charged with sexual battery by an adult on a victim under 12, cruelty towards a child, possession of obscene material with child sex performance.
Alabama man accused of child sex abuse
By Anna Beahm abeahm@al.com
A Seminole man accused of inappropriately touching a child now faces sex abuse charges, according to the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office.
John Dutton Sr., 51, was charged with sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 and was arrested Thursday afternoon, jail records show.
Dutton is accused of inappropriately touching the child on multiple occasions, said Capt. Steve Arthur. He said the sheriff's office has been investigating Dutton's actions for almost a month.
Arthur would not explain how Dutton knew the child.
Jail records show Dutton remained in Baldwin County Jail on a $25,000 bond Thursday evening.
Pennsylvania man draws long jail term for
sexual abuse of daughters
sexual abuse of daughters
By Michael P. Rellahan, mrellahan@21st-centurymedia.com,
WEST CHESTER >> A Caln man who authorities say sexually molested and assaulted his two daughters and a third child he cared for has been sentenced to a long term in state prison for what a prosecutor called a case of “sexual exploitation.”
“As these victims have matured, they have learned that the person they loved and trusted violated them,” said Assistant District Attorney Megan King, of the D.A.’s Child Abuse Unit, in a sentencing memorandum filed with Common Pleas Judge Phyllis Streitel, who on Wednesday sentenced the man to 55 to 110 years behind bars. All of the victims were under 10 when the assaults occurred.
“All three are in therapy trying to comprehend the sexual exploitation that they suffered at the hands of their own father, or father figure,” King wrote while asking Streitel for a sentence of 60 to 120 years in prison. “This abuse manipulated and twisted a child’s natural sense of trust and love. When the very person who is supposed to protect and guide a child ends up exploiting his victim for his own pleasure, there is a true corruption of parental love.”
The 35-year-old unemployed man, who lived in the Downingtown area of the township at the time of the incidents and his arrest, did not address the court before sentencing. His attorney, Alexander Silow of West Chester, told Streitel that his client plans to appeal his conviction.
The Mercury is withholding the man’s name so as to protect the identity of his three victims.
In January, the man pleaded guilty to two counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, seven counts of indecent assault of a child under 13, and additional counts of corruption of minors, and disseminating obscene and other sexual materials to children. The plea came just as his trial on those charges was scheduled to begin, and after the girls had all testified in court proceedings about what happened to them.
But in what King said was an obvious sign that the man lacked remorse for his crimes, three months after he pleaded guilty he came back to court and demanded that he be allowed to withdraw his plea. He complained about the legal services given by his then-attorney, Assistant Public Defender Kelly Jurs, and claimed that a recording of the interview he gave to police in the case – in which he acknowledged having indecent contact with all three girls, but blamed them for “being sexual” and for watching pornography – had been altered.
In August, after an evidentiary hearing at which the lead investigators, Caln Sgt. Christine Cusick and Chester County Detective Gerald Davis, testified as to the veracity of the recording, Streitel formally rejected the man’s attempt to withdraw his plea, setting the stage for Wednesday’s sentencing.
“We are pleased that Judge Streitel recognized the severity of the case. This sentence ensures that the defendant can never hurt another child,” King said Thursday. “While nothing can erase the pain these innocent children endured, hopefully this sentence will help bring them closure so that the healing process can continue.”
The case against the man began in April 2016, when Cusick was contacted about a report of alleged child abuse through Childline, the state’s abuse hotline. She subsequently interviewed, along with Davis, the three victims - the defendant’s two daughters, ages 9 and 6 at the time, and a third girl, the daughter of a friend, who was then 8.
All three said that they had slept in the same bed as the man when they stayed at his house, and that he had sexually assaulted and molested them at various time, including performing oral sex with them.
When the man was confronted by police he admitted much of the conduct, calling the 8-year-old his “go to” child, saying that one of his daughters would shower with him, and that his other daughter, age 6, had watched pornography.
He was arrested in May 2016 and has been held in Chester County Prison since then on $500,000 bail.
King noted in her memorandum that the man had pleaded guilty to 20 separate counts of sexual offenses with the three girls, none of whom appeared in court for the sentencing.
“He is a proven danger to society,” she wrote. (He) chose victims who were under his care and who were too little to run, too weak to resist, and too young to comprehend what was happening to them.
“Young children are the most vulnerable victims, because they are completely innocent, defenseless, and reliant upon others to care for them,” she said.
A teenager was sexually abused and the Tulare man who police say did it is now behind bars.
The girl, 15 at the time of the alleged sexual abuse, told police in October that the crimes occurred in 2015. The man, David Lara, 29, lived with the girl for about three months when the crimes occurred, police said.
Police did not say if other adults or children were in the home at the time. Detectives believe while the girl was in the home she was not held against her will.
Tulare Sgt. Jon Hamlin said a variety of reasons could have prevented the girl from coming forward sooner.
"Sometimes, especially in cases of sexual assault, the victim doesn't think they will get help," he said. "They may also fear they will be blamed."
Hamlin said, while detectives are looking further into the allegations, it's possible there are other victims who haven't come forward. Police are also looking into the possibility that Lara has a previous sexual assault conviction in another county, he said.
"This happened in 2015. There may be a patter here," Hamlin said.
Lara was arrested Thursday and booked into Tulare County Pretrial on allegations of having sexual intercourse and oral copulation with a minor. His bail was set at $260,000 and he's expected in court on Monday.
Anyone with information should call Detective Ray Guerrero at 685-2300.
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York man accused of sexually assaulting two children at a McDonald's has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Kelley Tremblay, of Troy, pleaded guilty on Oct. 31 to one felony count of criminal sexual act.
Prosecutors said Tremblay assaulted a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old at a Watervliet McDonald's in August.
Police say the crime was captured on the restaurant's surveillance cameras.
One Non-Survivor's Story
Chelsea Ritschel in New York
The Independent US
Adult film actress August Ames opened up about childhood sexual abuse, mental health issues, and drug abuse, just weeks before her death from a reported suicide.
The 23-year-old - who’d starred in almost 290 movies - died in Camarillo, California, on Tuesday morning - after a homophobia row.
She had been under heavy criticism for saying she refused to work with men who have also appeared in gay pornography, actors who, in the industry, are described as “crossover” performers.
On September 13, less than two months before her death, she appeared on the Holly Randall Unfiltered podcast for a wide-ranging hour-long interview.
In it, she revealed that she’d experienced “a lot of sexual molestation” when she was growing up, but said the perpetrator was not her father.
She said the trauma of the abuse was compounded because she was not believed when she raised the alarm.
“It was just awful. It’s still recent where I have to keep myself occupied or else I start thinking about all that s*** and then I fall into a depression. I try to do therapy. I hate that word. I hate therapy.”
She said that one of the reasons she disliked therapy is because therapists would judge her for her profession.
“I would get in contact with some people and then I would feel badly because they’d be like ‘what’s your profession and I’d be like ‘oh, I’m in the adult industry’ and then I’d feel like they’re like ‘oh, that’s the whole reason that you are the way you are’ and then I’d get turned off.”
She touched on the use and abuse of drugs during the hour-long chat, revealing that when she was 15, the father of a child she was babysitting offered her cocaine if she would strip naked.
She said she’d used drugs to escape her issues, saying: “I don’t drink alcohol anymore. When I would drink, I’d black out every time. I used to smoke a lot of weed too, I used to be a big stoner but I’ve cut that out too. I just drink water now.”
Ames added that she was using medication to deal with bipolar disorder, depression and multiple personality disorder. “It was so hard when I wasn’t on any medication when I’d just flip, you know? It was crippling.”
Towards the end of the podcast, she said that when she’s feeling low and depressed, she goes through her old photos to look for a happy selfie to post on Instagram to her followers.
After learning of his younger sister’s death, the actress’s brother lashed out at social media bullies, blaming the online abuse for his sister’s death.
Ames husband, Kevin Moore, asked for privacy during the difficult time, after telling industry trade magazine Adult Video News, “She was the kindest person I ever knew and she meant the world to me.”
Since the news of Ames death, there has been an outpouring of condolences on social media, with friends and industry professionals sharing touching tributes to the starlet.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet revealed the cause of death.
BRENTWOOD -- A former maintenance supervisor at Bethany Church in Greenland was sentenced to prison last week for possessing images of children being sexually abused.
Ronald Nekoroski, 69, of 2 Maple Ridge Road, Seabrook, pleaded guilty Nov. 29 to two counts of possessing child sexual abuse images in Rockingham Superior Court.
Nekoroski was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in New Hampshire State Prison, according to court records. He also received a suspended prison sentence of 7½ to 15 years and must participate in the state’s sex offender program as part of the plea deal.
Nekoroski was arrested Jan. 3 this year after police found images depicting sexual child abuse on laptops, hard drives and USB thumb drives in his home. He was indicted in April on six felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse images by a Rockingham County grand jury.
Nekoroski was being monitored by bracelet until June 21 when it was removed by authorities, according to an operator at the Rockingham County House of Corrections. He is receiving 83 days credit for confinement prior to his plea and sentencing.
Nekoroski worked at Bethany Church before retiring in 2015 and previously at IBM and Motorola, according to published reports. His arrest was the result of an investigation by the regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. ICAC found his IP address during a probe into the file sharing network Bit Torrent, from which Nekoroski appeared to be downloading the files, according to a police affidavit and Portsmouth detective Duane Jacques.
Police said at the time of his arrest six images were allegedly found in Nekoroski’s home that depicted acts involving adult men and minor females, including some prepubescent children.
OSWEGO, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) - An Oswego man is facing felony charges for alleged sex crimes involving a child.
Investigators arrested 56-year-old Donald Schopp of Tug Hill Road on Thursday around 2 p.m. on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse – a felony.
The alleged incident involving a child under the age of 13 occurred in 2015 in the town of Oswego.
Schopp was arraigned in Town of Hannibal Court and taken to the Oswego County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.
He is scheduled to return to Oswego Town Court on Dec. 18.
California man arrested on child sexual assault allegations
Eric Woomer, ewoomer@visaliatimesdelta.com A teenager was sexually abused and the Tulare man who police say did it is now behind bars.
Police did not say if other adults or children were in the home at the time. Detectives believe while the girl was in the home she was not held against her will.
Tulare Sgt. Jon Hamlin said a variety of reasons could have prevented the girl from coming forward sooner.
"Sometimes, especially in cases of sexual assault, the victim doesn't think they will get help," he said. "They may also fear they will be blamed."
Hamlin said, while detectives are looking further into the allegations, it's possible there are other victims who haven't come forward. Police are also looking into the possibility that Lara has a previous sexual assault conviction in another county, he said.
"This happened in 2015. There may be a patter here," Hamlin said.
Lara was arrested Thursday and booked into Tulare County Pretrial on allegations of having sexual intercourse and oral copulation with a minor. His bail was set at $260,000 and he's expected in court on Monday.
Anyone with information should call Detective Ray Guerrero at 685-2300.
Upstate NY man gets prison in McDonald's
child sex abuse case
The Associated PressALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — An upstate New York man accused of sexually assaulting two children at a McDonald's has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors said Tremblay assaulted a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old at a Watervliet McDonald's in August.
Police say the crime was captured on the restaurant's surveillance cameras.
Watervliet, NY
Adult film star revealed tragic past of sexual abuse and mental health issues before death
One Non-Survivor's Story
The Independent US
Adult film actress August Ames opened up about childhood sexual abuse, mental health issues, and drug abuse, just weeks before her death from a reported suicide.
She had been under heavy criticism for saying she refused to work with men who have also appeared in gay pornography, actors who, in the industry, are described as “crossover” performers.
On September 13, less than two months before her death, she appeared on the Holly Randall Unfiltered podcast for a wide-ranging hour-long interview.
In it, she revealed that she’d experienced “a lot of sexual molestation” when she was growing up, but said the perpetrator was not her father.
She said the trauma of the abuse was compounded because she was not believed when she raised the alarm.
“It was just awful. It’s still recent where I have to keep myself occupied or else I start thinking about all that s*** and then I fall into a depression. I try to do therapy. I hate that word. I hate therapy.”
She said that one of the reasons she disliked therapy is because therapists would judge her for her profession.
“I would get in contact with some people and then I would feel badly because they’d be like ‘what’s your profession and I’d be like ‘oh, I’m in the adult industry’ and then I’d feel like they’re like ‘oh, that’s the whole reason that you are the way you are’ and then I’d get turned off.”
She touched on the use and abuse of drugs during the hour-long chat, revealing that when she was 15, the father of a child she was babysitting offered her cocaine if she would strip naked.
She said she’d used drugs to escape her issues, saying: “I don’t drink alcohol anymore. When I would drink, I’d black out every time. I used to smoke a lot of weed too, I used to be a big stoner but I’ve cut that out too. I just drink water now.”
Ames added that she was using medication to deal with bipolar disorder, depression and multiple personality disorder. “It was so hard when I wasn’t on any medication when I’d just flip, you know? It was crippling.”
Towards the end of the podcast, she said that when she’s feeling low and depressed, she goes through her old photos to look for a happy selfie to post on Instagram to her followers.
After learning of his younger sister’s death, the actress’s brother lashed out at social media bullies, blaming the online abuse for his sister’s death.
Ames husband, Kevin Moore, asked for privacy during the difficult time, after telling industry trade magazine Adult Video News, “She was the kindest person I ever knew and she meant the world to me.”
Since the news of Ames death, there has been an outpouring of condolences on social media, with friends and industry professionals sharing touching tributes to the starlet.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet revealed the cause of death.
New Hampshire church worker jailed for
child sex abuse images
BRENTWOOD -- A former maintenance supervisor at Bethany Church in Greenland was sentenced to prison last week for possessing images of children being sexually abused.
Nekoroski was sentenced to 3 to 6 years in New Hampshire State Prison, according to court records. He also received a suspended prison sentence of 7½ to 15 years and must participate in the state’s sex offender program as part of the plea deal.
Nekoroski was arrested Jan. 3 this year after police found images depicting sexual child abuse on laptops, hard drives and USB thumb drives in his home. He was indicted in April on six felony counts of possession of child sexual abuse images by a Rockingham County grand jury.
Nekoroski was being monitored by bracelet until June 21 when it was removed by authorities, according to an operator at the Rockingham County House of Corrections. He is receiving 83 days credit for confinement prior to his plea and sentencing.
Nekoroski worked at Bethany Church before retiring in 2015 and previously at IBM and Motorola, according to published reports. His arrest was the result of an investigation by the regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. ICAC found his IP address during a probe into the file sharing network Bit Torrent, from which Nekoroski appeared to be downloading the files, according to a police affidavit and Portsmouth detective Duane Jacques.
Police said at the time of his arrest six images were allegedly found in Nekoroski’s home that depicted acts involving adult men and minor females, including some prepubescent children.
Upstate NY man arrested on child sex crime allegations
Investigators arrested 56-year-old Donald Schopp of Tug Hill Road on Thursday around 2 p.m. on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse – a felony.The alleged incident involving a child under the age of 13 occurred in 2015 in the town of Oswego.
Schopp was arraigned in Town of Hannibal Court and taken to the Oswego County jail in lieu of $5,000 cash bail or $10,000 bond.
He is scheduled to return to Oswego Town Court on Dec. 18.
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