Larry Nassar Removed From Michigan Sex Offender Registry

Larry Nassar, the former gymnastics doctor convicted of sexually abusing hundreds of female athletes, has been removed from the Michigan Sex Offender Registry. This change is a consequence of a recent Michigan Supreme Court decision that permits the purging of sex offenders' names from the database if their offenses occurred before July 1, 2011.

Nassar's name was removed along with approximately 20,000 other convicted sex offenders from the state police database, according to reports. The court ruled that amendments made in 2021 to the Sex Offender Registration Act cannot be applied retroactively to compel sex offender registration for offenses committed prior to the act's changes.

Nassar, 63, committed abuse against at least 265 athletes, many of whom were minors, over several decades while serving as a doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. Although his crimes were exposed and he was arrested in 2016, the acts themselves predated the 2011 cutoff established by the court's ruling.

The Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which handled Nassar's prosecution, expressed concern over the court's decision. The office stated that the registry was intended to provide a measure of protection and awareness, assurances that have now been removed. The prosecutor's office also noted that other convicted sex offenders incarcerated in Eaton County, including Damon Warner, Kevin Kalmbach, Jay Yensen, Justin Bowles, Joe Deleon, and Ernesto Uribe, will also be released from registration requirements upon completion of their sentences.

Nassar was convicted on federal child pornography charges and multiple state counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2017 and 2018. He received a sentence of 60 years in prison. During his sentencing, the presiding judge described him as potentially the most prolific serial child sex abuser in history.