Larry Nassar, the disgraced sports doctor who was convicted of sexually abusing female gymnasts, was stabbed multiple times during an altercation with another inmate at a federal prison in Florida, a prison union leader said Monday.
Nassar, 59, was stabbed twice in the neck, twice in the back and six times in the chest, and also suffered a collapsed lung in the Sunday attack, said Joe Rojas, president of Local 506, which represents employees at the Federal Correctional Complex Coleman in Central Florida.
Rojas, who said he verified the information with staff on duty, added that Nassar was in stable condition.
The federal Bureau of Prisons said an inmate was assaulted at Coleman at 2:35 p.m. Sunday, but declined to identify the prisoners involved. Officials said staff provided life-saving measures and the inmate was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“No staff or other inmates were injured and at no time was the public in danger. An internal investigation is ongoing,” officials said, adding that the FBI was also notified.
Nassar was sentenced to decades in prison for sexually assaulting gymnasts, including Olympic medalists. He is serving time behind bars for convictions in both state and federal courts.
The disgraced sports doctor pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting gymnasts and other athletes with his hands under the guise of medical treatment for hip and leg injuries. At his trial, more than 150 accusers spoke out or submitted statements detailing his abuse.
In June of last year, the Michigan Supreme Court rejected a final appeal from Nassar.
The sports doctor also separately pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography.
Nassar worked at Michigan State University and at Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, traveling the world with elites of the sport.
He has been housed at Coleman since 2018 in a unit with other sex offenders, Rojas said.
“It’s unusual that this would happen in that unit,” Rojas added. He said that employee shortages and vacancies at the high-security prison have left staff working extra shifts and filling other roles to the detriment of safety and security.
“This is why it happened,” Rojas said of the assault against Nassar. “We don’t have the staff.”
The BOP has grappled with a high-profile prisoner death in recent months.
Ted Kaczynski, the man known as the Unabomber, who was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, was found dead in June in his prison cell at FMC Butner medical center in North Carolina. A senior law enforcement official said Kaczynski, who had been diagnosed with cancer, died by suicide.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Chantal Da Silva contributed.
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