Did many years ago in some cases. Well take you in the courtroom when nassar is sentenced by the judge. Jean casarez joins us now. Bring us up to speed, this is a momentous day in what has been a sexual abuse epidemic lasting rorter hats right. Were at the moment now the cour has broken but the next step will be the actual sentencing of larry nassar. Olympic doctor here at msu State University for the Athletic Department, womens division. 156 victims of Sexual Assault have stepped up to the podium and that courtroom in the last week and have given their stories of exactly what happened to them of the Sexual Assault at the hands of larry that is sar. We also heard a timeline from these victims that in 1997, one of them went to the gymnastics coach at msu and said, ive been sexually assaulted by larry nassar and she says nothing was done. Another victim said i wasnt born until 1997. It didnt have to happen to me. In 2000, the last victim was sexually assaulted, the first one to come forward to the indy star in 2016. She became public. She had the courage to do so and that is when all of these other women stepped forward to say, me too. I was also assaulted by larry nassar. Hes pleaded guilty to seven counts of aggravated Sexual Misconduct and facing up to life in prison. Brianna . Where are we going next with all of this. Were going to see the sentencing phase, this part to be clear has lasted days. What were supposed to be dozens of victims astronomical number anyways, a lot of people said they had been emboldened and gotten courage from some of the women coming forward publicly and wanted to do the same thing, jean. Reporter thats right. Its continued to grow. Thats why its taken so long. At this point attorneys on both sides are able to argue minimum and maximum sentences based on aggravated and mitigating factors. Larry nassar himself can give an allocution before the court, he can beg for mercy, he can apologize or say nothing. Also the judge is allowing his family to say words to the court if they want to. We were able to ask his attorney this morning if his family or supporters would speak, the answer was we do not know. Were not sure at this point. At that point the judge will give the reason for her sentence. This may take time because she has to take into consideration everything, all of the statements of the victims, the aggravating factors and mitigating factors and then she will pronounce his sentence. There is a plea agreement. In other words, theres a minimum sentence that is already been established a agreed upon by both sides, 25 to 40 years for each count, a maximum can be determined by the judge and that would be life in prison. Jean casarez in lansing, we know youre watching this as we await a key part, a key chapter in it. Thank you so much. I do want to bring in paul callen. This paul, days of these victim impact statements over 160 of them, have you ever seen anything like this . You know, i never have . We started out by talking about it as being an epidemic of sexual abuse. Its more like the black plague of sexual abuse cases because with this number of victims and the tragedy is that so many of them came and made complaints to msu and coaches and police and parents, they were ignored. As a result of that, the abuse went on. We also find in this case that even one victim settled a case and there was a confidentiality agreement in that case preventing other women who had similar complaints from knowing that there were other women who shared their pain and would have given them the courage to come forward. Its just the most tragic case of this kind i think ive ever seen. Lets listen to some of tho victims. I am not weak and will not accept the feelings of embarrassment or shame. Im leaving those here with him. I want you to apologize to me right here. I want to hear you regret all of the hurt youve caused. My hate towards you is uncontrollable. Larry nassar, i hate you. What you have done is despicable. What you have done, you can never erase. I have peace knowing one day you are going to die and when you do your pain will not sub side. There is a range of emotions, theres so much anger, you can see how so many victims were impacted by him. You heard the one survivor, its important to note, thats how these women are identifying themselves, survivors and they are not victims, survivors first, one of them demanding an apology, he is going to have a chance to speak. I wonder what you think is going to happen today paul. Especially considering he had the gall to at one point during the victim impact statements, to tell the judge despite the fact it was part of his plea arrangement to listen to these impact statements, he had the gall to tell the judge that it was upsetting him basically, that it was affecting his mental health. What do you think were going to hear from him . If i were advising him as an attorney, the only thing that most attorneys would say to him is to express sorrow for what you did and probably sit down after that. If he offers any type of excuse or claims hes somehow rehabilitated himself, its only going to anger the judge and make things worse. You have to bear in mind that hes already been sentenced to 60 years in prison by a federal judge on child pornography charges. He has to serve those sentences and state sentences will be consecutive. You can wind up with 150 or 160 years of potential sentencing years involved. It doesnt matter what he says. Best thing he could do is say nothing except im sorry and accept the judgment of the court. He is 54 years old, paul, he could be looking at as many as 125 years in addition to those 60 years in the child Pornography Case that you mentioned that hes been sentenced to. Is your expectation that he is just he will spend the rest of his life in jail . Absolutely. I dont see any possibility he would get out of prison with this numr o vms and crime of this magnitude. As we heard in the victim stements, this is just not the pain that these young women suffered at his hands in the examination room, its haunted them for the rest of their lives, its affected their ability to relate to men and other situations in a normal way. Hes just destroyed the life of so many human beings, its a staggering crime. Including human beings who evictized, who are still involved in usa gymnastics, thats another thing that is startling especially these young women pointing at us gymnastics and saying this was enabled. I want to play something from ali rooizman, the gold medali medalists, one of number of very well known gymnasts who have said larry nassar abused her. Imagine feeling like you have no power and no voice. Well, you know what, larry, i have both power and voice and im only beginning to just use them. All of these brave women have power and well use our voices to make sure you get what you deserve, a life of suffering spent replaying the words delivered by this powerful army of survivors. And thats really what weve seen, an army who have come into i wonder as you consider what the judge referred to the army as, called them quote super heroes and this is significant, told parents they should not blame themselves for not discovering the abuse. As we know, there were a number of times where parents or at least occasionally where parents were present and didnt even know, didnt understand what was going on. The parents have been haunted by the guilt of not seeing what was happening to their children. In some cases the children made comments to the parents that should have triggered a complaint to the police or it was useless to a complaint apparently to msu or even to the sports authorities involved in this case. As to the first point about the ua gis knack ticks association, youre going to see an avalanche of civil lawsuits and litigation arising out of this case. Because so many made legitimate complaints and they were ignored. People should have known that he was out to harm these young women. And people in charge of many of these organizations did nothing when they should have acted. And so many of these survivors have made that point, that Something Like this widespread does not happen without people without a system around someone like larry ssar to enable it. Were going to talk about what may be coming down the road when it comes to the civil lawsuits. Im getting a quick break, were awaiting sentencing of larry nassar, the former doctor of usa gymnastics michigan State University. He is very likely to get many years in jail for his Sexual Assault of dozens and dozens of girls and young women. Were following this. Well be right back. Oh good, youre awake finally. Youre still here . Come on, denise. Were voya we stay with you to and through retirement. With solutions to help provide income throughout. I get that voya is with me through retirement, im just surprised it means in my kitchen. Oh. [whispering] so that means no breakfast . I said there might be breakfast. I was really looking forward to breakfast. I know. Voya. Helping you to and through retirement. New year, new phones for the family. Join tmobile, and when you buy one of the latest samsung phones get a Samsung Galaxy s8 free. Plus, unlimited family plans come with netflix included. So, you can watch all your netflix favorites on your new samsung phones. Join the uncarrier and get a Samsung Galaxy s8 free. All on americas best unlimited network. When youve got no plans but with your comfy pants, grab a Marie Callenders roasted turkey stuffing. With mashed potatoes and made from scratch gravy. Spoiler alert, things are about to get good. Because me time calls for Marie Callenders. Youre watching live pictures out of a courtroom in lansing. Were expecting any moment the sentencing of larry nassar, the former doctor for usa womens gymnastics, also at michigan State University. He has pled guilty to seven counts of criminal Sexual Conduct but we saw in the days leading up to this key moment in court that there were more than well over 100, almost 150 women who came forward to deliver their victim impact statements and those are just the ones who came forward publicly. This is something that went on for decades. I do want to get to jean casarez outside of the courtroom in lansing, michigan. And jean, so we heard from so many women just really what was a growing chorus here in the last few days. They are awaiting this moment where we may or may not hear from larry nassar himself after he has had to listen to days of descriptions of how he impacted all of his victims. Thats right, we dont know if hes going to speak at all. As the days went on, women kept coming forward because they were watching the streaming and it gave them the confidence. At this point 156 women stepped up to that podium a gave statements. Larry nassar was not only with the Athletic Department at michigan State University and treating gymnasts and other female athletes here but he was the olympic team doctor. He went to the london olympics when the American Team was there and Gold Medalist, bronze medalists they came into this courtroom last week and gave statements that when they went to the london olympics, that he sexually assaulted them, that when they went to the World Championship in tokyo, that once they got there, he was able to sexually assault at least one gymnast in particular. We learned through this hearing that when he would assault them or treat them with these medical treatments, that he was allowed to go into their hotel room, they went to his hotel room and those are the rules they said of the usa gymnastics. Now we know at this point is that the board of directors, three of them stepped down from usa gymnastics and ncaa is launcheding an inquiry, an investigation here at michigan State University and today all 2200 employees faculty here at msu are going to be sent emails asking if there should be a vote of no confidence of the president of msu because she has been with the university for as long as larry nassar, were talking overwo decadesarry nassar was here affiliated with the university and sexually assaulting so many of the young athletes. And we know one of those athletes who said she reported back in 1997, which is just baffling that you realize this was over 20 years ago she reported this in Michigan State and asked the president of the university to come and witness at least her victim impact statement and that did not happen obviously. The president has been watching very closely but she is embattled as this has continued and jean, i do want to play some sound from jordan weaver, the Gold Medalist at the 2012 olympics, she took not only larry nassar to task but people who many victims described as enablers. Larry nassar is accountable. Usa gymnastics is accountable. The u. S. Olympic committee is accountable. My teammates and friends have been through enough and now its time for change because the current and future gymnasts do not deserve to live in anxiety, fear or be unprotected like i was. I also want to bring in paul to our conversation with jean casarez about this. Paul, when you listen to what jordan weaver is saying and so many other victims and you look at the totality of what has happened here, it makes you think of the sandusky child molestation epidemic at penn state. It makes you think of the Catholic ChurchSexual Assault epidemic that we saw. I do want to also point out, were looking at live pictures here of nassar coming into the court in lansing, michigan, in his prison uniform as were going to await the sentencing phase. Paul, you still with me though, right . Yes, i am. I wonder as you listen to jordan weaver there, many of the survivors looking at usa gymnastics, they are looking as well at the usa training facility, the karolyi ranch, that officials are investigating there, a strict no parents policy. This is where simone biles said she had been assaulted. This is where apparently a number of these assaults happened. How far is this going to go when were talking about other lawsuits, civil lawsuits of people who are arguably going to be accused of being kplis it in this . Well, you know, the civil lawsuit situation is very complex because every state where this happened has a different statute of limitations. I was looking at the michigan statute of limitations in effect in the 90s and early part of this century, it was as little as two years after the event it has to be reported or if its a child you have to report it by the time youre 19 in order to bring a lawsuit in michigan. Texas will come into play. They have a different one and as you just mentioned, since some of these olympic contenders were abused allegedly in london and possibly in tokyo, the statute of limitations in those countries will apply and maybe the lawsuits can be brought over there. But theres a great possibility of lawsuits but it could be an uphill battle in many states depending upon where the abuse took place. So we listen to victim impact statements from 156 victims. Some of them delivered by their family members. He is facing nassar, 40 to 125 years in prison in addition to 60 years he has been sentenced in a federal case relating to child pornography. When you look at what the judge rose marie has said where she has said that these victims are super heroes. Do you think this is an indication do you read that an indication of where she is on sentencing . Yes, i think youre looking at a judge whos going to impose the maximum sentence allowable under law and thats going to translate really into a life sentence. Strangely enough and ironically, his federal case was assigned to a female federal judge as well and she sentenced him to 60 years in prison. I think its i think its a good thing that women turned out to be the judges in these cases because tht sort of abuse happened in this case really to women entirely and i think these female jurors had a real understanding of the trauma and tragedy inflicted on these young women. And its so important to give these young women a voice as they have been so courageous here in the last several days to come forward. Lets listen to more of their victim impact statements. You were met to get caught. You were meant to be locked up for the rest of your life. Larry is the most dangerous type of abuser, one who is capable of manipulating his victims through coldly calculated methodologies presenting the most wholesome and caring sperna to deliver a steady stream of Young Children to assault. As i look at you today, i feel nauseous, 20 minutes went by when you stopped and i thought to myself, its finally over. But you werent finished yet. You assaulted me again and again. I want to bring jean casarez back into the conversation with paul callan. Jean, you have been in court for days watching and listening to these impact statements. What is your expectation today . As we do hear from the judge and also we should point out were seeing larry nassar rise it appears that court is underway. Lets listen. It is now in session. Lets listen in. At this time were back on the reco record, counsel, we need to update the presentence investigation report. I spoke with you in chambers and i dont think theres an objection to it but on the cover page of the presentence investigation report, i changed count one two, five, eight, 10 and 18 to 369 days and count 24 to 370 days. Is that right . Thats correct. Also changed that the second page and it also changed some day days on the information sheet. I dont know i didnt look at the evaluation plan but its in there. I would change that as well. Some of the recommendation on page three, we change 361 to 896. 362 days to 370. Are there any other corrections and deletions at this time . Not on behalf of the people. On behalf of the defense counsel, your honor, i have a housekeeping manner. The last individual that do you want me come up there . Probably, yes. The last individual referenced my clients daughter by name. Im going to ask the court seal that page of the transcript. I spoke with the Attorney Generals Office about that and i dont think they have a problem with doing that we have no objection. Okay, again, as to any of these little blips weve had, not a surprise over so many pages of testimony and several days. I dont think theres rule to strike it officially from it, the transcript but we will see that page and that maybe that name or the full name in the other situations on single sheets so nothing else is lost from the transcript . I dont know. There are other ways to get around the rules, well leave that so we maintain the structure of the transcript to protect those we need to. Is that acceptable . Yes, your honor, thank you. Yes, thank you. At this time on behalf of the people, would would you like me to know . Before i begin, i do want to put in the record that obviously you heard from 156 victims or weve read their statement, you have been presented in the fourinch binder in front of you with at least by our count, two dozen additional victim impact statements from survivors who wish to submit those directly to the court. I know youve reviewed those and wanted to place that on the record as well. Law clerk diligently placed them in the binder in some kind of order and i also will be adding to that, my own notes of what ive highlighted. Thank you. Your honor, on behalf of the Michigan Department of attorney general, the investigation prosution team, i do have some things i would like to say. You may proceed. Thank you. The breadth and ripple of this defendants abuse and destruction is nearly infinite. It centers in the lansing and michigan State University communities and it spans the state of michigan. And reaches club and elite training gyms. Athletics and even the United States and International Olympic communities. Its not even limited to gymnastics as athletes from over a dozen different sports have reported abuse. His practiced and perfected abuse spanned over 25 years and included countless victims, beginning before he was even a doctor, one who traveled the world seeking gold. But we know his access to children and young women and his abuse did not end until an investigative news report and one brave woman came public to stop him. The basic facts of his assaults have been recounted by the charged victims in this case as well as numerous victims who gave their impact statements. The facts that the defendant admitted to your honor under oath, that he penetrated these young girls vagixnas and annuse with his hands for his own sexual pleasure. He had ee recollections as he performed these socalled treatments and asked 11yearolds to tell him if they were on their periods so he could be sure they were ripe for his abuse. Children that were prepubescent often unaware their bodies and children whose parents sat feet away, near children. The saults he perpetrated on these trusting young girls was not limited to the hours and hours and hours of sexl penetration. Theefendant is a twisted beloved renoned doctor who used his prestige to gain trust of these girls and exploit them, leaving many of them emotionally shattered, used by a man that they not only trusted but also loved. He supposedly practiced osteopathic medicine but a master manipulators and manipulated victims and parents and through the press and social media early in this case. And he tried to manipulate the Police Department in his interviews and he tried to manipulate prior investigators. He even tried to manipulate your honor and this court through his pathetic letter. All while knowing the truth, that he did the things he was accused of doing. And in competitive gymnastics he found the Perfect Place for this master manipulation. In gymnastics, young girls do what they are told. They hide their pain and they hide their injuries. These young girls beared all of it. Their bodies were constantly on display and under scrutiny. It takes some kind of sick per version to not only assault a child buto do so with her pant in the room. To do so while a lineup of eager young gymnasts waited to see the gymnastics god larry nassar. Its a sick perversion when a defendants close Family Friends were upstairs in his own home while he abused young kyle stevens, just six years old when it began. His own wife and children sat upstairs for years while he gave his basement treatments. To unnecessarily and without warning penetrate an unsuspecting minor for your own selfish sexual gains while her parent sat feet away unknowing, had to be part of the rush or thrill for this defendant. The thrill that he might just get caught. But he was a master. He had developed a builtin defense. No coach should be in a shower with a boy, no priest has an excuse for any type of sexual touching. But nassar perfected a builtin excuse and defense, he was a doctor and a good one so the world thought. And this makes up the other half of his scheme,he trust he could garner from being not only a doctor, a respected professional but an olympic doctor, one who treated these young girls, these young victims heroes. He adorned his office with pictures of olympians he treated, with the far off places his supposed expertise took him. He brought back tokens for his precious victims, regalia from competitions around the world. In doing so, he made each of his victims feel special. As Cassie Powell said, the defendant hid behind Olympic Rings and spartan green and white. For many of these girls nassar was not just a doctor but a confident, a role model. Sometimes the only affirming male influence in their lives. The level of nassars predation reaches even higher because he often knew the victims parents, some of whom were fellow doctors, others who unwittingly sent patients to him. He even knew some of the parents were police officers. He was so well practiced in his abuse and continually empowering himself, he believed he would get away with it despite any parents profession. He believed he was untouchable. This defendant not only robbed these children of their innocence, he robbed many of them of their gd health he performed no healing, only hurt, with so many heartbreaking stories of unnecessary treatments, misdiagnosis, inaccurate medical treatment, which we know has resulted in lasting permanent damage. Many of these survivors wonder whether they are now lifelong injuries could have been treated had he not wanted the continued access to their young bodies. He wasnt a world renowned doctor. As one of our experts so eloquently put it in preparing this case for trial, he was performing hocus poke us medicine. Over the last 16 months as he prepared this case and lived this case and thrown my heart and soul into this case, i have often wondered, did he really think he was going to get away with this . Abusing so many for so many years over two decades, so many sports, no patient, no child was safe and yet, he also abused some of our most Prominent National heroes. Maybe he did think he could beat the odds and you know what, for years he did. What that did, that beating of the odds to kyle stevens, to jessica thomaso and kaylee and Bailey Lauren son to victims d and g and i, to rachel den holinger. History gave him guidance for the future, every previous time there had been an allegation, nothing happened. His lies worked and the court heard from several women, some decades later, who were initially determined to be confused or to be liars. He was believed over these children. Larissa boyce, tiffany thomas, bree an randall and amanda thomasho. Sometimes 4, 14 and 20 years have passed since those brave women told someone. You saw and heard firsthand, to know your truth, to be called a liar, by not only your abuser but to also not be believed by other trusting adults, what does that do to a person . Adts who were supposed to be protect you a could have made it stop and could have prevented others from the same fate. What does that do to a child . We saw firsthand what it does. And with each time he got away he was empowered to continue and perfect and abuse even more. It should not take finding a collection of 37,000 vile and disgusting images to believe these women and girls. It shouldnt take investigative journalists to expose predators. It should not take one brave woman put in the unenviable position and choice to go public with her name and be the only public person for months but thank god we had these journalists. And that they exposed this truth and that they continued to cover this story. Thank god rachel denholinger made the First Contact with the reporter and decided to allow them to publish her name. How many times have we heard that without those stories and rachel, victims would not have reported, they would not be here to speak this week, to expose what truly happened all of these years behind those doors and under that towel. We have all learned a few lessons from this case and these past seven days of powerful testimony. As i reflect back an entire semester of a College Class in sexual abuse, grooming behaviors and why victims delay and predatory behavior has played out these past week and a half. Buts we look back on this case in thet seven days, i struck by a number of observations. What does it say about our society that victims of sexual abuse have to hide their pain for years when they did nothing wrong . What does it say about our society when victims do come forward and they are automatically met with skepticism and doubt, treated as liars until proven true . What do we take away from this . These have been important narratives to hear and witness and listen to. They will be the words that burn down cultural stereo types and cultural myths. And i have a few takeaways and lessons i hope anyone watching these past seven days has learned and will take away with them. The first is that we must start by believing. Other adults must start by believing when children and young people report abuse, regardless of who the perpetrator is, no matter his education, his position, the respect he commands, or the awards and adorations he has received. Research shows that false allegations are slim, that most perpetrators are serial ow offenders and that how a victim especially a child, is treated when they disclose, if they are believed and supported and not blamed, can affect their well being for years and can support Better Outcomes within the criminal Justice System and protect other victims. Yet, even after the first day and the conclusion of the first week, it was brought to my attention by many involved in this case that there are still people in this very community and elsewhere i would imagine, who are saying that these women were all in it for the money or the attention. Are you kidding me . After 150 heart wrenching, raw, graphic, visceral impact statements, how can anyone system believe that . Even to this day, even as this historic sentencing hearing is broadcast around the globe, there are still likely people who doubt. Perhaps those 2,000 folks who voted for this defendant as school board member. Perhaps the many petition writers were aware of who included doctors and trainers and athletes and lawyers who spared nothing to come to the defense of this defendant over 16 months ago. And continued to defend him for months even after he had been charged with kyle stevens abuse. I hope and pray that they are watching, that they are listening and that they have learned their lesson. The second lesson i take away and hope others do, anyone can be a perpetrator, anyone can be a serial sexual abuser. This defendant stole cheated and lied. He stole these victims innocence and lied about his behavior and he cheated parents and the community and the world of the trust they held in doctors, prominent physicians and Prominent Community members. Experts teach on this issue. Ru russell strand teaches on offender dynamics and behavior. Strand talks about how abusers have three personas, the first is the public one for all to see. The second is the uninhabited persona, what you only let others close to you see. We all have toes two personas but the third is the hidden and secret one, its hidden in the mind and the eyes and beliefs of the perpetrator. And that persona is often hidden well. Serial child molesters hide among us. We know that this defendant had a good persona, a good public persona at least. He was the good guy, the goofy guy and olympic docr a medical School Professor and gymnastics god. He was a religious and pius man, a school board candidate, man of honor and passion. So kind and giving and always approachable, he never charged for his services and he saw patients basically anywhere. But we know without a doubt after the seven days, what we on this team have known for 16 months, that nassars third hidden persona just as strand discusses, that he is possibly the most prolific serial child sexual abuser in history. A selfish child molester who spared no one. Nassar hid behind the outer if aside that is fake and not real and people believed were real. They came to his defense and believed that they were he was the man they wanted him to see and not the monster hiding bee neej. As a society, our response cannot be that he couldnt do this. Or that i knew his character and i knew he wasnt capable of this kind of crime. Its because no one wants to see it. The only person who sees this dere his victims. Then the perpetrator goes back and shows only what he wants the world to see. This is how he got away with this for so long and got people to believe him over the many, many, many victims who reported. And anyone can be an abuser. The third takeaway from this week is that delayed disclosure of child sexual abuse is not unique. In fact, its quite the norm. Kids dont report sexual abuse right away even because the abuser is a trusted adult, especially when its a doctor and they are so young and have no sexual experience to understand what is wrong. The fourth takeaway, predators groom their victims and families. This is so confusing to so many women. He was so nice, he gave them presents and trinkets and desserts and broke rules for them. And especially when you contrast his behavior and relationship to the harsh and cruel and abusive coaches that these girls were exposed to. He was only doing that to gain their trust, to confuse them and get what he wanted. The fourth takeaway, is we must teach our girls and boys to speak up. Kids are told to be respectful of adults. Girls and boys dont speak up. It is easier to putp with discomfort than cause was. And when they are brave, nothing happens. We teach our girls and daughters to be too nice, to just ignore and put up with uncomfortable situations, to stay silent when they should be allowed to be heard. We need to teach them to continue to speak up until someone listens and helps. The sixth takeaway from this week and a half is that police and prosecutors must take on hard cases regardless of who the fender is. They cannot shy away from tough cases because of who the offender is or position in the community. They cannot victim blame or wait until they have the perfect case. They cannot wait until they have dozens of victims who have come forward. Police and prosecutors must also start by believing. Be victim centered and offender focused in their work. The final takeaway is that we as a society need investigative journalists more than ever. What finally started this rec onning and ended this decadeslong cycle of abuse was investigative reporting. Without that first Indianapolis Star story in august of 2016, without the story where rachel came forward publicly shortly the thereafter, he would still be practicing medicine, treating athletes and abusing kids. Let that sink in for a minute. Right now he would be at his office on hague dorn and hannah, not far from this courtroom in the michigan State University campus, abusing children had it not been the investigative reporters and rachel who brought this case. We know federal Law Enforcement did not stop him nor did trab trainers or coaches or deans or medical supervisors. Victim disclosures to adults didnt stop him. Reporters began the story and excellent victim centered focused police and prosecutors grabbed the baton and brought us here today. Im proud of the work of the michigan State UniversityPolice Department and our team at the Attorney Generals Office. There is no more supportive police chief in this country than chief dunlap. And our victims and the public are incredibly lucky to have their case investigated but arguably the best sex crimes detective in the country and her team. Detective lieutenant Andrea Munford is not only a smart, dedicated and hard working investigator, but she is also em pathetic and compassionate. Our victims are also lucky to have the full and unwavering support of the Michigan Attorney general bull shuty supported this prosecution fully. Our team is so proud of these young women for speaking. So many have so many have shared their name and story and face and should feel no shame because they did nothing wrong. He did. Its worth remembering once again that it was one woman who came public first, and when she did, she was ridiculed. Folks rallies behind him. They tried to discredit her. They signed petitions in support of him. They believed him over her because of who he was purported to be. People continued to support him in this very community and believe him after we charged kyle stevens case, after he faced multiple counts of criminal Sexual Conduct first against a minor. They chose to believe his lies over the words of a young woman who had nothing to gain by coming forward. Nothing. Some of his support wavered after he was charged with possessing tens of thousands of images of child pornography. Yet, still there were people in power who had ideas he was framed and the images were planted, who was telling other victims this as they knew their truth. At the same time that these folks were supporting him and putting out those false narratives, these women and countless more you havent met and who may be watching and reading knew their truth. They knew he had abused them and they watched him continue to lie about committing that abuse. It has not been an easy process for these victims, especially rachel. All alone publicly for many, many months. To be accused of being a pied piper of sorts in court in the press, to be accused of somehow planting this idea of victimhood in other womens minds, the gripping testimony these past two weeks have shown how absurd those arguments are. You have seen firsthand the effects this abuse has had on these women. That is tangible, physical evidence that this happened, that these women were abused, not bandwagon jumpers, not money grabbers. Women and girls who were abused. For victims to realize years and decades later that they were, in fact, abused, sometimes hundreds of times when they really thought they were receiving legitimate treatment, it shifts their equilibrium. It shatters their sense of the world, their sense of safety, their conception of trust. It has caused them to question what they believe and know, and that has lasting consequences. Unlike any other crime that comes before you, judge, sexual abuse and assault so deeply affects and alters victims lives. It seeps and oozes and permeates into every pore and crevice of a victims life. It can alter their lifes trajectory. Weve seen that time and time again this week when weve heard mention of depression and anxiety and panic attacks, suicidal thoughts, selfmedication, selfharm, question of selfworth, and even when we heard from donna markman some seven days ago about the suicide of chelsea. Nassar sentenced these little girls and other little girls to lives in prison by fear and doubt. The courage it takes to overcome so many little obstacles to try and right your world and just live normal daily life is immeasurable. They had t overcome these obstacles on a daily bas for the rest of their lives. His sexual abuse turned their world upside down and inside out, but this process of support and this courtroom and the Community Helps bring healing. Your honor, i wholeheartedly want to thank you and your staff for graciously allowing each victim to be heard. When we fashioned a sentence agreement allowing for the reported victims to speak, which at that point was in the neighborhood of 120 victims, survivors, we wanted all to feel involved in this process and to have their voice heard. What we have witnessed here in this courtroom exceeded even my wildest dream. What we have witnessed here is unprecedented but hopefully not the last time that victims will be heard in this manner. The compassion and empathy that you have shown these women, the support and encouraging words you have given each one, coupled with what i know is the belief that they and their stories mattered will be remembered by all long after this case is over. Over 150omenadourage to walk into this courtroom, most to be publicly identified and outed to the ws a nassar victim. For the first time. Yet, they have the grace and the courage to speak their truth and become survivors. To each survivor, thank you. Thank you for coming forward, for trusting us, for doing what is so hard and difficult, especially when you reported to the police, especially to those involved and are charging cases and especially to those who have had to testify in court. On behalf of the entire attorney general and michigan State UniversityPolice Department team, we believe you and always have. We thank you. We are proud to stand up for and with you, and you are our heroes. We have seen the worst of humanity and the best in these past few days. The pain and destruction caused by evil, selfish takers like this defendant, but we have also seen how one voice can start a movement, how reckoning can deliver justice, how a community can support and empower and start healing. During these last seven days on our screen, you have seen countless young,ocent faces. That was on purpose. Every day at this podium that i stand, you saw strong, brave, fierce survivors come here. But thats not who larry nassar saw. He was attracted and abused to those young girls in those pictures. But your honor, what you did not see are the sweet, young, innocent faces of girls who have been spared a similar fate because these brave women all spoke up, and more importantly, never gave up. There is no doubt he would have continued to abuse unabated for the rest of his life. I tell these survivors to be proud of what you have accomplished because you are survivors. You have referenced the army of survivors that this proceeding and his abuse has created. This past weekend at womens marches around the country, signs with kyle stevens quote, someone that the world did not even know was affiliated with this case some five days before, those quotes were raised on signs. Little girls dont stay little forever. They turn into strong women who have come back to destroy your world. You heard from jennifer bedford, and she concluded by saying stand for truth, resolve for change, be committed. Athis particular moment in history, this sentencing hearing will be viewed as a turning point in how our community, our state, our nation, our culture looks at sexual abuse. This courtroom was where the shame that many survivors felt was exorcised from them and put where it belongs, right on him. When each survivor came forward and shared their name, told their truth, supported each other, that shift grew. The world has witnessed what happens when victims are treated with respect, dignity, empathy, compassion, and are truly supported by police, prosecutors, and the criminal Justice System and courts. What is obvious is that a strong group of determined women can, in fact, change the world and will. The fact that the women led the investigation, the prosecution team, and that three female judges now sentenced defendant nassar is poetic justice. As i reflect on the last seven days of the sentencing hearing, it became clear that each day more women and girls were empowered. It was evideed by our growing you remember in, people that were reaching out to us to come to speak their truth. These women and girls have transformed themselves before our very eyes from victim to survivor to champion for justice and advocates for change. In all of this, the world outside will carry on. But i want to recenter you and this court and all involved back on the reason were here. The sentencing of defendant larry nassar for his admitted conduct against numerous young girls. He sexually assaulted them. He did so under the guise of medical treatment, and he did so for his own sexual purpose and gratification. He carried out his plot through a decades long process he honed and perfected, creating perfect conditions for his predatory behavior. Until these brave women brought it