Michigan Clarifies: Larry Nassar Was Not Removed From State Registry After Court-Ordered Purge

Michigan removed more than 20,000 names from its public sex offender registry after the state Supreme Court ruled on 9 September that the Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) cannot be applied retroactively to offenses committed before the law's effective date. The decision required state police to take offline entries for offenses that occurred before 1 July 2011.

Following the purge, the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office published a social-media post — including a screenshot — implying that convicted former MSU and USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar had been removed from Michigan's registry. That post was widely shared and prompted public concern.

State Police: Nassar Was Never Removed

On Friday, Michigan State Police issued a statement clarifying the record: "Information suggesting that convicted sex offender Nassar was removed from the sex offender registry by the Michigan State Police because of the Smith decision is incorrect." The agency said Nassar does not appear on Michigan's public registry because he is serving a federal prison sentence out of state, not because he was purged under the court ruling.

U.S. Bureau of Prisons records list Nassar as incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. As the state police explained, "Offenders not currently domiciled, temporarily residing, working, incarcerated or going to school in Michigan do not have the duty to register in Michigan under [SORA], and would not be visible on Michigan's public sex offender registry." If such an offender later comes to Michigan or is incarcerated in Michigan, they would be expected to register if SORA still requires it at that time.

Eaton County Retracts And Apologizes

The Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney's Office subsequently issued a correction and apology for its earlier post. The office noted that some of the offenses for which Nassar was convicted in Eaton and neighbouring Ingham counties carry dates (2009 and 1998) that fall within the timeframe affected by the court decision. The statement said that at the time of his 2018 sentencing, Nassar was incarcerated in Michigan and would have been required to register until his transfer to federal custody.

"We must correct our earlier social media post about removal of convicted sex offenders from the Michigan sex offender registry … We apologize for the confusion," the Eaton County statement said.

What This Means And Next Steps

The Michigan Supreme Court's ruling cannot be reversed by lawmakers directly. However, the Michigan Legislature could pass new legislation to restore affected offenders to the public database if it chooses to change the law going forward.

Larry Nassar was sentenced in 2018 to combined state and federal prison terms that could total as many as 175 years after pleading guilty in November 2017 to multiple counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. More than 150 women and girls have accused him of abuse, including Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman, Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas. Prison records show his projected earliest federal release date is 2068. In July 2023, Nassar survived a stabbing while imprisoned.

Support Resources

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence, help is available:

• U.S.: RAINN — 800-656-4673
• U.K.: Rape Crisis — 0808 500 2222
• Australia: 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732
• International helplines: http://ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html