‘I just signed your death warrant’: Larry Nassar's full sentencing

I also want to say that being said we also have the First Amendment so you are all free to have your own opinions it's always a balancing act between the First Amendment the sixth amendment all of the due process and other counts amendments to the Constitution they are all valuable in their own way and that's why we have an organized and just society and that's why we are here today because this defendant has been brought to justice do not make it worse please before I get to sentencing I want to talk about a couple of things and first I've said when I need to say to the victims I have a little bit more to say you are no longer a victim you are survivors you're very strong and I've addressed you individually before I say anything further I don't know if you all know this and I know that the world is watching I know this because I'm on the bench every day and this isn't the only heinous crime that appears in this court the National Crime Victimization survey that's done by the Justice Department annually reports that 310 out of every 1000 assaults are reported to police which means that 2 out of 3 go unreported the voices of the survivors have asked everyone report keep your voice up Rachel's voice hopefully will raise these numbers of reports and all of your voices but that statistic does not include children 12 and under one in 10 children will be sexually abused by their 18th birthday one in seven girls one in 25 boys by their 18th birthday that means that in the United States I'm not talking about any other country but in the United States 400,000 babies born in the US will become victims of child sexual abuse it stops now speak out like these survivors become part of the army I do one case at a time and I really so very much appreciate all of you thank you I've read some of the Twitter's and Facebook's and all of what's going on in the media I'm not special I'm doing my job if you come into my courtroom any Wednesday and watch sentencing I give everybody a voice I give defendants a voice their families when they're here I give this as a voice I try to treat everybody like family because that's the justice system that I was raised to believe in I came to this country stateless I'm naturalized my father's Maltese my mother's German and I was raised on old country values and my grandmother always told me and my parents always told me my grandfather too that America is the greatest country I believe that it's why I served in the military that's why I've always sung community service I'm not really well-liked because I speak out I don't have many friends because I speak out if you ask me a question you better be ready for the answer I speak out because I want change because I still believe in hiding the truth and I'm not saying I'm always right but I try I also don't believe that one size fits all when it comes to sentencing another reason I listen I know that there are some judges for every crime they give the same punishment I don't think that's justice I believe in individualized sentencing I follow the Constitution and I believe our system works I also believe these survivors now there's case law about how I can consider what I can consider and first and foremost my sentence reflects the seven in regard to who defendant claimed to be but the remainder of you 161 others add to the credibility of those seven so technically I'm considering everything everyone because you're crying all of your crimes the depth of them have cut into the core of this community and many communities and all of the families of people we don't even know and sir the media has asked me to release your letter I'm not going to do that counsel may object the media may object but there is some information in here that troubles me in regard to the victims and I don't want them revitalized by the words that you have in here but I do want to read some more of your letter and the reason I want to do that is because I've considered it in sensing as an extent as an extension of your apology and whether I believe it or not so I want you to hear your words I've already read some and I'm not reading everyone well let me begin the federal judge went ballistic at sentencing since I pled guilty to the state cases and spent 10 percent on the federal case and 90 percent on the state cases and civil suits she gave me 60 years instead of five to twenty years in parentheses three consecutive 20-year sentences I pleaded guilty to possession of corn from nine 2004 to twelve 2004 four months the prosecutor even admitted that I never belonged to any porn site any chatrooms was not on the dark web and also they could not prove I viewed it it was all deleted of course I shared my electronics and I couldn't that show for four months of pouring possession from 2004 I was sentenced to 60 years not proper appropriate fare going down a few lines what I did in the state cases was medical not sexual but because of a porn I lost all support thus another reason for the state guilty plea what they move down for you so I've tried to avoid a trial to save the stress to this community my family the victims yet look what is happening it is wrong I was a good doctor because my treatments worked and those patients that are now speaking out for the same ones that praised and came back over and over and referred family and friends to see me the media convinced them that everything I did was wrong and bad please feel their trust hell hath no fury like a woman scorned it is just a complete nightmare the stories that are being fabricated to sensationalize this then the AG would only accept my plea if I said what I did was not medical and was for my own pleasure they forced me to say that or they were going to trial and not accepting the plea I wanted to plead no contest but the AG refused that I was so manipulated by the AG and now Aquilino and all I wanted was to minimize stress to everyone like I wrote earlier going down a little bit further in addition with the federal case my medical treatments with the Olympic / National Team gymnastics were to stuff as part of the police the FBI investigated them in 2015 and found nothing substantial because it was medical now they are seeking the media attention and financial rewards would you like to withdraw your plea because you are guilty aren't you are you doing sir the new sign language has become treatment these cloaks use air quotes I will never see them again without thinking of you and your despicable ass I don't care how they're used I will always think of quotes and the word treatment it was not treatment what you did it was not medical there is no medical evidence that was ever brought when this case first came to me and I've told you this and I apologized to the Olympians and athletes but I have five children two dogs my parents live with me I work four jobs I don't have much time to television I don't watch sports although last year I was a soccer coach what's new after of my family I didn't know anything about you your name blanking me what's going on and so when I kept saying we're going to trial here's the date and everyone wanted one time they should not use the cutoff and then the cases were merged and we doing it and I still thought well maybe there's a defense of medical treatment and why do they think that because it's my job to defend in person but also because my two brothers and my father are very well known and respected doctors real doctors with real treatments and research dedicated to healing I haven't considered that in this case but I have heard some your survivors now that they trust doctors like I trust the doctors in my family or doctors I know - but I still thought well there's a defense of medical treatment and there are changes in the medical community every day to the betterment so up until the tiny quad I believe that maybe there was a defense here despite the selling information I was ready for trial your counsel was ready for trial the Attorney General's Office was ready for trial you sir decided to plead because there was no medical treatment you did this for your pleasure and your control this letter which comes two months after your pleat tells me that you have not yet owned what you did that you still think somehow you are right that you are a doctor that you're entitled that you don't have to listen and then you did treatment I wouldn't send my dogs to you sir there's no treatment here you finally told the truth in action is an action silence is indifference justice requires action and a voice and that is what has happened here in this Court a hundred and sixty eight buckets of water replaced I'm your so-called match that got out of control and I also like law enforce or like the Attorney General want to thank law enforcement for their investigation but I also want to be the voice of a half of these survivors who asks law enforcement to continue their fine work and to also include the federal government there has to be a massive investigation as to why there was inaction why there was silence justice requires more than what I can do on this bench I wanted to also applaud all of the counsel in the attorney general's office I want to also applaud defense counsel you all have done fine work you've made me proud of our legal system we all work together for the betterment of our communities and that is law enforcement prosecutors defense counsel investigators there are countless people it's the only way our system works we need this balance so all of you when I look at myself as Lady Justice my arms are like this they are balanced prosecution defense are balanced it only starts to tip after there's a plea and after I take into consideration everything that's happened so I want everyone to understand I've also done my homework I always do people versus bacalao ski I'm sure I slaughtered the name I apologize but it is spelled in w ACL AWS okay i 286 Misha 634 to 2009 case and in it and I want you to clearly understand it says plainly the law does not limit victims impact statements to direct victims it doesn't say and I have found nowhere that limits me from having you here all of your videos as I said before when counsel came to me and said we're not going to go to trial despite our Court having already sent out 200 of the 800 juror requests and they told me their plea now would I consider it a new trial there was the agreement between us because I've always and they know it they are familiar with me what people speak and I wanted all victims and we had a discussion about which victims and of course there was an objection to one of them I let it come in anyway that was part of the plea that you entered into to allow the victim impact statements because they after that discussion I know your lawyers as good as they are sat down with you and said the judge is going to allow this and when it comes down to it I know it also because this was fined by the Attorney General by defendant and by defendants counsel on November 22nd 2017 [Music] [Applause] aside from the letter that you wrote a couple of months after your plea which tells me you still don't get it there's something I don't understand and I want to make clear sir you knew you had a problem that is clear to me you knew you had a problem from a very young age even before you were a doctor you could have taken yourself away from temptation and you did not but worse yet there isn't a survivor who hasn't come in here and said how world-renowned you were I trust what they say you could have gone anywhere in the world to be treated you could have gone to any resort any doctor place where you could get treatment in Europe they have all sorts of hidden places for things like this no one had to know and you could have found some treatment some help taking some medicine you would have done that if you had cancer I know you would have your about self-preservation but you decided to not address what's inside you that causes this control urge that causes you to be a sexual predator so your urge is escalated and based on the numbers that we all know go unreported I can't even guess how many vulnerable children and families you actually assaulted your decision to assault was precise calculated manipulative devious despicable I don't have to add words because you're survivors have said all of that I don't want to repeat it you can't give them back their innocence their youth you can't give a father back his life before one of your victims her life when she took it I can't return the daughter to the mother the father to the daughter you played on everyone's vulnerability I'm not vulnerable not to you not to other criminals at that podium I swore to uphold the Constitution and the law and I am well-trained I know exactly what to do and at this time I'm going to do it and I want you to know as much as it was my honor and privilege to hear the sister survivors it is my honor and privilege to sentence you because sir you do not deserve to walk outside of a prison ever again you have done nothing to control those urges and anywhere you walk disruption will occur to those most vulnerable now I am honored the agreement on what's been requested of me and I want you to know I'm not good at man I have a cheat sheet I'm only a lawyer I know that you have a lot of education in physics and math but I have a cheat sheet it is my privilege on count one two five eight ten and 18 and 24 to sentence you to 40 years and when I look at my cheat sheet 40 years just so you know and you can count it off your calendar it's 480 months the tail ends because I need to send a message to the parole board in the event somehow God is gracious and I know he is and you survived the sixty years in federal court first and then you start on my forty years you've gone off the page here as to what I'm doing my page only goes 200 years serve I'm giving you 175 years which is 2100 months I just find your Jeff boring I I need everyone to be quiet I sell contempt powers I told you I'm not nice I find that you don't get it that you're a danger you remain a danger I'm a judge with the leaves in life and rehabilitation when the rehabilitation is possible I have many defendants come back here and show these great things they've done in their lives after probation after parole I don't find that possible with you so you will receive jail credits I count one two five eight ten and eighteen about three hundred and sixty nine days on count 24 you will have three hundred and seventy days jail credit if you are ever out which is doubtful you would be required to register with the Michigan sex offenders Registration Act complying with all of the requirements of that Act in addition to global position monitoring system you would wear GPS you will pay restitution in the amount to be determined based on whatever amounts are submitted and your attorneys can ask me for a restitution hearing so that I can determine what a reasonable amount help is for the victims I am leaving restitution open as long as those victims have issues that can be medically documented you will comply with DNA testing and pay a sixty dollar fee for the head I suspect that was already done but you owe $60 back to the county for that or law enforcement whoever will put it in the right pocket you must submit to HIV testing and complete counseling associated with HIV and AIDS you must waive confidentiality and a lot of test results and medical information unchanged from this test to be released to the court you will pay 476 dollars in state funding you will pay a crime victims of Stephanie mad 130 dollars the counsel wish to address court costs and fines I don't know his financial state I'm not imposing any court costs and fines and here's the reason I don't know what he has or what he'll get in the future the victims deserve the money the county will survive one way or another I'm also going to make recommendations to the Michigan Department of Corrections for mental health treatment health treatment I understand he has the medical conditions and he should be allowed to take medicine for that you should have individual and group counseling treatment for sexual predators whatever they allow I'm also going to send a message I'm not sure but I believe I read an article sir that you were treating people in prison that don't have a license don't commit any more crimes I know you don't have any more lives to give but you can't be treating people you're down a doctor so I'm not sure how that's happening that's what I wanted to send you that message you have 21 days to appeal 10 days to request court-appointed counsel to acknowledge receipt of your appellate rights Your Honor I've got the most of right to appeal and I'm providing it right now do you acknowledge it yes right thank you let me just say to the media again I'm just doing my job I know you all want to talk to me my secretary has informed me that I have a growing stack of requests from print media from television from magazines from around the world literally it's story is not about me it never was about me I hope I've opened some doors but you see I'm a little stupid because I thought everybody did what I did and if they didn't maybe they ought to but I do this and have been doing it and if you don't believe me the keeper of my words is right by my side and lawyers who are hearing this are shaking their head saying yep I've waited too long as she lets everybody talk sometimes people get upset I don't care I get paid the same so as to the media who want to talk with me I'm not going to be making any statements I know that my office and I may have even I don't know it's been so long a couple of weeks convey that after this is over it's just not my story after the appellate period runs with victims by my side to tell their stories I might answer some more questions than what I said on the record I don't know what more I could possibly say but I'm not going to talk with any media person until after the appeal period and even then if you talk to me about this case I will have a survivor with me because it is their story so I wanted everybody to hear that from me I respect all of the media outlets you've done just a fabulous job here there hasn't been any commotion or upset by this and I do believe in the First Amendment so I thank you all for being here because it's an important story for the survivors as to today I know that there are a lot of survivors family members husbands friends a lot of people in the courtroom you have voices I'm going to leave the courtroom defendant will leave the courtroom the attorneys may stay victim's family members survivors you may stay in the courtroom and talk to media you can have your own press conference right here spur the moment sometimes works out the best doesn't it again I won't make this statement until after the appeal period and again if there's any survivor then who at that point if somebody wants to talk to me I'm sure you'll be moved on to another story but if you're not please give your names to the victims advocate so that I can contact you because please media do not contact me on this story without a survivor it's their story I think everybody in this case sir I hope somewhere you have heard everybody's words and it really does resonate with you anything else for the record nothing both have alright so the media is asked to stay here with all those lovely people who may want to speak with you thank you that's all for the record [Music]

Channel: CBC News

Views: 931,174

Keywords: Larry Nassar, sentencing, sentence, judge, Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, Rosemarie Aquilina, Judge Aquillina, Michigan, Michigan State University, USA Gymnastics, sexual assault, Lansing, CBC News, CBC, CBC Sports

Id: Yf12qTDBrPs

Length: 36min 48sec (2208 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 24 2018