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Ex-Boss of Larry Nassar Is Charged With Criminal Sexual Conduct Scrutiny of Michigan State’s Role in Nassar Case Brings New Sex Charges
(about 7 hours later)
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The former dean of Michigan State University’s osteopathic medical school was accused on Tuesday of failing to protect women and girls from the disgraced physician Lawrence G. Nassar, and was himself charged with committing criminal sexual conduct against medical students. EAST LANSING, Mich. — The investigation began with the goal of uncovering how Michigan State University officials had failed to prevent Dr. Lawrence G. Nassar from assaulting hundreds of young women over decades. But the inquiry took a stunning turn on Tuesday when a university dean was accused not just of facilitating Dr. Nassar’s abuse, but of committing sexual misconduct himself.
The former dean, William D. Strampel, was charged with misconduct of a public official, a felony, and three misdemeanors, including criminal sexual conduct and two counts of willful neglect of duty, court records show. Investigators say Dr. Strampel, Dr. Nassar’s boss and a longtime dean at the school, failed to supervise Dr. Nassar’s work appropriately, and that Dr. Strampel also propositioned and assaulted the medical students he was assigned to oversee. Dr. William D. Strampel, who worked as Dr. Nassar’s boss at the College of Osteopathic Medicine, was accused by investigators of grabbing the buttocks of two female medical students. He suggested that one young woman leave school and become a “centerfold model,” investigators said. And he stored nude “selfies,” apparently of Michigan State students, on his work computer, court documents say, along with a video of Dr. Nassar performing “treatment” on a young patient.
“As dean of the college, Strampel used his office to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students,” a Michigan State Police detective wrote in an affidavit supporting the criminal charges. “As dean of the college, Strampel used his office to harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition and sexually assault female students,” a detective from Michigan’s statewide police agency wrote in an affidavit.
According to charging documents, Dr. Strampel made graphic sexual comments to female medical students at the university, suggested that one student become a “centerfold model” and grabbed at least two women on the buttocks. Dr. Strampel solicited nude photos from at least one student who had performed poorly on a medical school exam, the documents say, and investigators found dozens of pornographic images and videos on a computer in his office, including many images that appeared to be of Michigan State students. The arrest of Dr. Strampel, who is 70 and was for 15 years the highest-ranking official at the osteopathic college, compounded the crisis facing Michigan State. It has seen its reputation devastated in recent months as scores of women recounted abuse by Dr. Nassar, a longtime university sports doctor. Women have described a corrupt culture at the university that diminished or ignored the complaints some of them made about Dr. Nassar as far back as the late 1990s. Michigan State’s president, Lou Anna K. Simon, left under pressure in January and trustees have faced calls to resign, even as the state’s criminal investigation into the university was expected to continue and additional charges were possible.
Investigators also found “a video of Dr. Larry Nassar performing ‘treatment’ on a young female patient” on the computer. The charging documents suggest that Dr. Strampel targeted women who were struggling in their classes, telling one to “turn around in a circle twice so that he could observe her body,” and that she was “never going to make it in the profession if she did not dress sexier.” “This is another blow to the university,” Tom Leonard, the speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, said of the charges against Dr. Strampel. “It’s an absolute disgrace.”
Dr. Strampel, who was arrested on Monday night, has yet to enter a plea. A lawyer was expected to provide a statement on his behalf later on Tuesday. Dr. Strampel — who stepped down in December from his job as dean, where he made more than $383,000 annually, according to MLive, a local news outlet — was charged with misconduct of a public official, a felony, and three misdemeanors, including fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and two counts of willful neglect of duty. Dr. Strampel was jailed on Monday, and appeared in court via video on Tuesday afternoon wearing a gray sweatshirt, his hands cuffed in front of him. A personal recognizance bond was set at $25,000, and Dr. Strampel was ordered not to contact current or former students, and not to leave the state.
Prosecutors are pursuing a sprawling investigation of the university, which began after Dr. Nassar, a longtime physician for Michigan State and for U.S.A. Gymnastics, admitted that he had sexually abused scores of young women over several years. John Dakmak, a lawyer for Dr. Strampel, said his client planned to fight the charges and denied all of the counts against him.
Dr. Nassar pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison in hearings that drew international attention. Dozens of women, including Olympic gymnasts, described repeated assaults that were committed under the guise of medical care. At least 265 people have said they were abused by Dr. Nassar, according to one judge who sentenced him. “My client denies that he ever engaged in any inappropriate touching of anyone, any student or otherwise,” Mr. Dakmak said. “He denies that there was any quid pro quo for sexual favors in exchange for any type of standing within the university or the medical school.”
Dr. Strampel oversaw Michigan State’s College of Osteopathic Medicine from 2002 until 2017, a period when much of Dr. Nassar’s abuse occurred. The charges against Dr. Strampel come as prosecutors pursue a sprawling investigation of the university, which began after Dr. Nassar, a longtime physician for Michigan State and for U.S.A. Gymnastics, admitted sexually abusing young women and was sentenced to prison in hearings that drew international attention. Dozens of women, including Olympic gymnasts, described assaults committed under the guise of medical care. At least 265 people have said they were abused by Dr. Nassar.
For years, university officials largely dismissed reports that Dr. Nassar had assaulted women, even though some said they had reported the abuse as early as the late 1990s to coaches, trainers or counselors. After facing criticism for her handling of the case, the president of the university, Lou Anna K. Simon, resigned in January. Prosecutors said Dr. Strampel failed to take steps to protect patients from Dr. Nassar when allegations of abuse emerged. He neglected, the prosecutors said, to follow a set of protocols that would, for instance, have required Dr. Nassar to conduct exams only with other staff members present. “Despite his representation of his (and the college’s) intended response to the allegations against Nassar, Strampel did not actually enforce or monitor these protocols, nor did he alert other employees in the Sports Medicine Clinic about the existence of the protocols,” the charging documents said.
Dr. Strampel’s arrest on Monday came about six weeks after Michigan State’s interim president, John Engler, announced that he was trying to revoke Dr. Strampel’s tenure, citing allegations about “his personal conduct over a long period of time.” The police detective’s affidavit outlining the charges also described a series of disturbing interactions between Dr. Strampel and four female medical students, none of whom were named publicly. In several of the cases, the women said they had gone to meet with Dr. Strampel to discuss their academic work but that he had turned the conversation to other topics.
“William Strampel did not act with the level of professionalism we expect from individuals who hold senior leadership positions, particularly in a position that involves student and patient safety,” Mr. Engler, a former governor of Michigan, said in February. “We are sending an unmistakable message today that we will remove employees who do not treat students, faculty, staff, or anyone else in our community in an appropriate manner.” One woman who said she had been summoned to Dr. Strampel’s office after falling asleep in class said that he told her to “turn around in a circle twice so that he could observe her body,” and that he said that she was “never going to make it in the profession if she did not dress sexier.” When she was later called to a dinner honoring scholarship recipients at a club on Michigan State’s golf course, she said Dr. Strampel reached around and gripped her buttock as they posed for photos, according to the affidavit.
A letter about the tenure revocation written in February by Carol Viventi, a university vice president, also mentioned “Dr. Strampel’s failure to monitor and enforce clinical practice guidelines put in place for former doctor Larry Nassar following the conclusion of a 2014 sexual harassment investigation.” Another student who had failed a medical school test said she was required to meet with Dr. Strampel, who asked her what her “Plan B” was since “she could not cut it in medical school.” The student said Dr. Strampel told her he would do her a favor by letting her take the exam again, but that she would then be required to do anything for him. “Given the context,” the affidavit said, the woman “understood that she was being asked to do anything he wanted sexually in exchange for the favor.”
Dr. Strampel’s arrest was applauded on Monday by John C. Manly, a lawyer who represents more than 150 women who say they were abused by Dr. Nassar. The charging documents said Dr. Strampel also made graphic sexual comments, solicited nude photos from at least one student, and stored dozens of pornographic images and videos on a computer in his office, including many images that appeared to be of Michigan State students.
“Our clients are encouraged by the attorney general’s action today,” Mr. Manly said in a statement. “It demonstrates that he is serious about investigating the systemic misconduct at M.S.U. that led to the largest child sex abuse scandal in history, and holding the responsible parties accountable.” Rachael Denhollander, who said Dr. Nassar abused her, said Tuesday’s charges reflected a systemic failure at Michigan State.
The Wall Street Journal, citing interviews and university records, reported this month that Dr. Strampel had said in 2016 that he did not believe the women who accused Dr. Nassar of abusing them, and that he did not want to fire Dr. Nassar. “This is shocking but it’s not shocking,” Ms. Denhollander said. “Someone like Larry doesn’t get away with becoming the worst sexual abuser in history in plain sight if he were not surrounded by people who had no problem with his conduct and did not think it was a big deal.”
Andrea Bitely, a spokeswoman for the Michigan attorney general’s office, which is overseeing the investigation of the university, declined to provide any information about Dr. Strampel’s arrest, but said he would be arraigned on Tuesday afternoon in East Lansing. The sheriff of Ingham County did not respond to a message seeking comment, nor did a lawyer who has been reported to represent Dr. Strampel in civil cases. Michigan State’s interim president, John Engler, last month took steps to start the process of revoking Dr. Strampel’s tenure. University officials did not answer questions Tuesday about the status of the revocation, and did not respond to a request to interview Mr. Engler.
Dr. Strampel, 70, previously worked in the surgeon general’s office. When he was named dean, Ms. Simon, the university provost at the time, said she was “confident that he’s the right person to lead this college.” For years, university officials largely dismissed reports that Dr. Nassar had assaulted women, even though some women said they had reported abuse years ago to coaches, trainers or counselors.
In a statement on Tuesday morning, a spokeswoman for the university reiterated Mr. Engler’s earlier remarks about Dr. Strampel’s conduct. On Tuesday, State Senator Margaret O’Brien, a Republican, said “this university needs to own up to what it did.”
“Michigan State University has been and will continue to cooperate with all ongoing investigations,” said the spokeswoman, Emily Guerrant. University officials did not respond to questions about the status of Dr. Strampel’s tenure revocation or whether he still has access to campus. “This won’t just go away,” Ms. O’Brien said. “They should know that by now.”
On the campus of Michigan State, students said they were unsettled by the arrest of Dr. Strampel, who came to the College of Osteopathic Medicine in the 1990s after a career that included stints in the surgeon general’s office and several hospitals.
The college enrolls more than 1,200 students and graduates about 300 physicians each year. Graduates earn a D.O. degree instead of the more common M.D., but are full-fledged doctors able to prescribe medication, perform surgeries and choose any specialty. Students also study the osteopathic techniques of manipulating the spine, muscles and bones to diagnose and treat patients.
Dr. Strampel, who could face up to nine years in prison if convicted of all charges, arrived at his home outside Lansing after his court appearance on Tuesday afternoon. A woman who came to the door declined to comment.
Aly Raisman, an Olympic gymnast who said Dr. Nassar abused her, wrote on Instagram that the charges against Dr. Strampel were “yet another painful example” of how so much had been mishandled.
“At this point, it’s clear that failing to investigate and understand how this abuse could go on for so long is just asking history to repeat itself,” said Ms. Raisman, who called for a broader investigation “that looks into everything, not just Nassar.”