DOJ declines to charge ex-FBI agents accused of mishandling Larry Nassar investigation

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Criminal charges will not be brought against two former FBI agents accused of mishandling the sexual abuse case involving former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar, the Justice Department (DOJ) announced Thursday.

Following an investigation into their conduct during the Nassar probe, the DOJ stood by its original stance that it would not be filing charges against the agents.

Despite finding that the former agents provided inaccurate or incomplete information to investigators, there wasn’t sufficient evidence to proceed forward with charges.

“This does not in any way reflect a view that the investigation of Nassar was handled as it should have been, nor in any way reflects approval or disregard of the conduct of the former agents,” the department wrote in the announcement.

The decision comes months after a bipartisan group of senators called on the FBI and the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to implement changes after determining failures on behalf of the FBI’s Indianapolis office during the Nassar investigation. Among their allegations was that the FBI did not act with urgency in addressing the sexual abuse claims.

“It is imperative that Congress is fully aware of the steps the FBI is taking to ensure that we may provide the Bureau with adequate resources, and ensure that these mistakes are never repeated,” the senators wrote in a letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray in November.

In December, the organizations that head U.S. gymnastics agreed to pay $380 million in a settlement to Nassar’s victims, among the largest ever for sexual abuse.

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