Ex-uni dean charged amid Nassar scandal

The man who oversaw the sports doctor who abused dozens of female gymnasts at a US university has been charged with sexually harassing female students.

The sexual abuse scandal at Michigan State University widened when authorities charged a former dean with sexually harassing female students and pressuring them for nude selfies.

William Strampel, 70, is the first person charged since an investigation was launched in January into how Michigan State handled complaints against sports doctor Larry Nassar Nassar, who for years sexually violated girls and young women, especially gymnasts, during examinations.

Strampel, who as dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine oversaw the clinic where Nassar worked, neglected his duty to enforce examining-room restrictions he imposed on Nassar after a patient accused the doctor in 2014 of sexual contact, authorities alleged.

Because Strampel did not follow up to make sure Nassar was complying, he was able to commit a host of additional sexual assaults until he was fired two years later, prosecutors said.

The criminal complaint also accused Strampel of soliciting nude photos from at least one female medical student and using his office to "harass, discriminate, demean, sexually proposition, and sexually assault female students in violation of his statutory duty as a public officer."

His work computer was found to contain about 50 photos of female genitalia, nude and semi-nude women, sex toys and pornography, prosecutors said.

"Many of these photos are of what appear to be 'selfies' of female MSU students, as evidenced by the MSU clothing and piercings featured in multiple photos," according to the complaint.

It said the computer also had a video of Nassar "performing a 'treatment' on a young female patient."

Strampel was also accused of grabbing two students' buttocks at the college's annual ball and a scholarship dinner.

He spent Monday night in jail and was released Tuesday on $25,000 bail.

The felony and misdemeanor charges - misconduct in office, criminal sexual conduct and two counts of neglect of duty - carry maximum penalties ranging from a year to five years behind bars.

"My client denies that he ever engaged in any inappropriate touching of anyone, any student or otherwise," his attorney John Dakmak said.

"He denies that there was any quid pro quo for sexual favours in exchange for any type of standing within the university, or the medical school."

Dakmak said the Nassar video most likely is one he used "around the country to show his technique in treating many patients."


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Source: AAP


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