Lawyers for former USA gymnastics and Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar say he was assaulted at a Tucson prison in May, a few hours after he was released into the general population, according to The Associated Press.
In resentencing motions filed Tuesday in Ingham County Circuit Court, attorneys Jacqueline McCann and Malaika Ramsey-Heath place part of the blame for the attack on Judge Rosemarie Aquilina, who described Nassar as a βmonsterβ who is βgoing to witherβ like the wicked witch in βThe Wizard of Oz,β AP reported.
Aquilina also said she would let someone βdo to him what he did to othersβ if the Constitution allowed her to do so, adding that she was signing his βdeath warrantβ by handing down a 40- to 125-year sentence for sexually abusing multiple girls who sought treatment from him, according to AP.
The Star received a tip on June 11 that Nassar was assaulted at the federal prison on Wilmot Road, and reached out to the Federal Bureau of Prisons to verify the information.
A prison spokesman said he could not provide any information about the condition or care of inmates, citing privacy reasons.
The Star then contacted Georgia attorney Amy Lee Copeland, who is representing Nassar in his federal appeal. She did not respond.
Nassar, 54, is currently serving a 60-year sentence in the Tucson prison for his federal conviction on charges for possession of child pornography.
In the Tuesday motion, his court-appointed public appellate defenders didnβt specify the βnature or severityβ of the attack, but accused the judge of using the nationally televised trial proceedings to βadvance her own agenda.β
The lawyers said that it was βno surprise that one of the victimβs fathers tried to attack Nassar at the sentencing hearingβ or that he was assaulted in prison, according to the Associated Press.
Aquilina declined to comment on the motions, which she is expected to consider during August hearings, the Associated Press said.
