Larry Nassar Sentenced to 60 Years in Prison on Child Porn Charges

Former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar received a 60-year prison sentence for downloading more than 37,000 images of child pornography.

The Associated Press (via NBC Sports) reported the news Thursday and noted Nassar, who also worked at Michigan State University, still faces state sentencing for molesting gymnasts.

The sentence matches the 60 years requested by federal prosecutors last week.

Assistant U.S. attorney Sean Lewis said in court filings the 54-year-old doctor "led a double life" and "poses an immense risk to the community," per Ed White of the AP.

"On the surface, he was a respected, world-renowned expert for elite athletes. He was a medical doctor, a husband and a father," Lewis said. "But underneath this veneer lurked a predator."

John Barr of ESPN.com noted American gold medalist McKayla Maroney wrote letters for federal court that provided a "chilling account of the psychological toll Nassar's alleged abuse took" on the vault specialist.

"It started when I was 13 years old, at one of my first national team training camps, in Texas, and it didn't end until I left the sport," Maroney wrote. "Because the national team training camps did not allow parents to be present, my mom and dad were unable to observe what Nassar was doing."

Nassar released an apology in November after pleading guilty to seven counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, including three charges related to victims under the age of 13, according to Nicole Chavez and Eric Levenson of CNN.

"For all those involved, I'm so horribly sorry that this was like a match that turned into a forest fire out of control," he said. "I have no animosity toward anyone. I just want healing. ... We need to move forward in a sense of growth and healing and I pray (for) that."

Nassar faces a life sentence for those charges at the hearing in Michigan next month.