Stephanie Nassar filed for divorce from Larry Nassar in 2017. Her marriage of more than two decades came to an end following Larry Nassar’s sex abuse scandal.
The divorce was granted to her almost a year from the day her ex-husband received his prison sentence. Larry was jailed for almost 175 years after he was convicted of sexually assaulting over 150 young athletes at the time he was working as an Osteopathic physician with the US Gymnastics team.
Nassar, who has long distanced herself from her husband’s crimes, is said to be working as a pediatric physician’s assistant in Michigan’s Sparrow Hospital.
Take a Look at 10 Shocking Facts about Stephanie Nassar
1. Stephanie Nassar is a Graduate of Michigan State University
The mother of three was born Stephanie Lynn Anderson. She attended Michigan State University in 1992. She later furthered her education at the University of Detroit Mercy where she earned a Masters’s degree in the Physician Assistant program section in 1999.
She is a member of the national board Certification for Physician Assistants.
2. Stephanie and Her Ex-Husband were Married for more than Two Decades
It is unclear where Stephanie met her ex-husband although he also graduated from Michigan State University almost the same time she did. The pair got married on October 19, 1996, at St. John’s Catholic Church in East Lansing, Michigan.
According to reports, some of Larry’s victims Sarah Klein and Trinea Gonczar knew Stephanie and even attended their wedding.
After the wedding, the former couple bought a house in 1998. Larry would later use the basement of the house to abuse various women without the consent of his wife.
3. Stephanie and Larry were Happily Married until Suspicion of his Sex Crimes Surfaced
Stephanie and Larry were happily married for more than decades. The former was said to be oblivious of her then-husband behaviors. The instance she discovered, she separated from Larry and later filed for divorce.
4. She was granted full custody of her three children with Larry Nassar
Following the uprising of Larry Nassar’s crimes, Stephanie reportedly filed for divorce on January 25, 2017, and within six months, the divorce was granted. Also, she received sole custody of their three children, RyanmKatelyn and Caroline Nassar.
There are speculations that one of Nassar’s daughters is autistic. Larry Nassar reportedly set up the Gymnastics Doctor Autism Foundation in other to render support to gymnastics programs for autistic children and other kids with special needs.
Since the divorce, Stephanie and her children have distanced themselves and were reportedly not seen at Larry’s sentencing and court proceedings.
5. Stephanie Nassar’s Name Has Been Mentioned in a Federal Lawsuit Against Michigan State University
The mother of three has been named in a federal lawsuit against Michigan State University. One of the victims, Alaina Bamfied revealed she was referred to Larry Nassar by Stephanie. Bamfield claimed she was abused after treating neck, back, and hip pain.
6. Complaints about Her Ex-Husband’s Behavior were reportedly Overlooked by the Authorities
According to reports, Stephanie’s ex-husband’s behavior was first reported in the 1990s by a couple of gymnasts but there no action was taken against him. However, he was later fired by Michigan State in 2016 after they had cut ties with him.
Later on reports about how the FBI agents mishandled the abuse allegations brought against Larry were reported by elite American gymnasts, McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, Maggie Nichols, and Aly Raisman.
In July 2021, a report issued by the Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz revealed that not more than 70 athletes were subjected to abuse between the time the athletes reported the case to the FBI and the time he was finally arrested.
Also, in April 2022, 13 of the victims filed a lawsuit against the FBI for negligence and failure to start investigations on time.
7. More than 150 Federal and State Lawsuits were Filed Against the Father of Her Children
Over 150 federal and state lawsuits were filed not just against the sex offender but also the Michigan State University, the US Olympic Committee, USA Gymnastics, and also the Twistars Gymnastics Club.
Following the lawsuit, all the board members of the USA Gymnastics resigned. While blaming the university for allowing Larry to abuse the girls’ under their noses, the court ordered MSU to pay $500 million which the institution agreed to pay to 332 alleged victims.
8. Stephanie Nassar Reportedly Changed the Spelling of Her Name
To further distance herself from her husband’s crimes, the Michigan native changed the spelling of her name. It is assumed that she did that to reduce all the negative attention her ex-husband brought upon her and the entire family.
9. Her Ex-Husband Received Several Convictions
After Larry Nassar was arrested, he was indicted on November 22, 2016, on several state charges of sexual assault of a child. He was also charged with 22 counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with minors.
He was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in 2017 after he pleaded guilty to child pornography and tampering with evidence charges on July 11, 2017. The doctor was given an additional 40 to 175 years in Michigan state prison and another 40 to 125 years in Michigan State prison.
10. Where is She Now?
While her husband is paying for his crimes in prison, Stephanie or Stefanie and her kids reportedly live in Lansing Michigan where she seems to be working pediatric physician’s assistant in Michigan’s Sparrow Hospital.
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