OKEMOS, Mich. -- A law firm representing 12 of the women who say they were sexually assaulted by former Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar is raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest in an ongoing investigation into the university's responsibility in allowing the alleged attacks to occur.
Attorneys David Mittleman and Mick Grewal held a news conference Friday, two days after Michigan's attorney general charged Nassar with 22 new charges of first-degree sexual assault, to question why police aren't investigating whether other Michigan State employees and administrators were negligent in allowing an alleged sexual predator to remain on campus.
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"I'd like to see the FBI get involved because of the far-reaching possible witnesses outside the state bounds," Mittleman said.
Nassar worked for more than two decades treating Michigan State student-athletes and U.S. national team gymnasts. During that time, more than 80 women have alleged that Nassar assaulted them by penetrating their vagina and anus with his fingers in what he calls a legitimate osteopathic procedure.
He is currently charged with 25 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and multiple counts of child pornography possession. He was fired by Michigan State in 2015.
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette and Michigan State University Police Chief Jim Dunlap announced the bulk of those charges earlier this week and said they expected more to follow. Dunlap said the scope of his department's work at this time is limited to the alleged crimes committed by Nassar.
Some of the alleged victims say they reported Nassar to coaches and psychologists at Michigan State as far back as 1997. Nassar's treatment methods were investigated in 2004 and 2014, but those inquiries did not result in any criminal charges. The university revised its guidelines for treating student-athletes after the 2014 investigation, but Nassar failed to follow them. One of Mittleman's clients was assaulted after the 2014 investigation, he said.
Michigan State hired former federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald earlier this month to review how the university handled those past accusations. When Schuette and Dunlap were asked about the university's potential negligence, they said those questions would be better answered by Fitzgerald and his firm.
Mittleman and Grewal said they hope Michigan State is fully transparent, but they don't feel an internal investigation funded by the university is enough to examine whether anyone at the school turned a blind eye to Nassar's alleged crimes.
"Justice isn't just prosecuting Dr. Nassar," Grewal said. "Justice includes investigating what Michigan State did or failed to do in preventing these atrocities from occurring."
Grewal and Mittleman have filed one of three civil lawsuits connected to Nassar's alleged assaults. A combined total of more than 30 women are signed on as complainants in those suits.
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