Key facts
- Larry Nassar has been removed from Michigan's sex offender registry.
- The removal is due to a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that the state's sex offender registration act cannot be applied retroactively to offenses before July 1, 2011.
- Over 20,000 individuals were removed from the registry as a result of the ruling.
- Nassar was convicted of sexually abusing girls and women over decades and sentenced to up to 175 years in prison.
- The Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney's office confirmed Nassar's removal and stated disagreement with the court's decision.
Larry Nassar, the former physician for Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics who was convicted of sexually abusing numerous girls and women, has been removed from Michigan's sex offender registry. This action follows a September 9 ruling by the Michigan Supreme Court that the state's Sex Offender Registration Act (Sora) cannot be applied retroactively to offenses committed before July 1, 2011.
As a result of the ruling, Michigan State Police removed more than 20,000 individuals whose offenses occurred before the specified date from the agency's online sex offender database. Nassar, 63, was among those taken off the list. The Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, which prosecuted Nassar, confirmed his absence from the registry and stated that the court's decision is "deeply concerning" and removes a measure of protection and awareness for the community and victims.
Despite disagreeing with the court and expressing concern about potential risks, the prosecutor's office acknowledged it is bound to follow the ruling. While Michigan lawmakers cannot reverse the Supreme Court's decision, they could enact new legislation to reinstate the affected offenders in the database. Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to a maximum of 175 years in prison for decades of abuse. His projected earliest release date for his federal sentence is in 2068.