Amid delayed Larry Nassar sex abuse probe, FBI agent sought Olympics job, inspector general says
report blasting the FBI’s handling of sexual abuse allegations against longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, much of the criticism landed at the feet of former FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge W. Jay Abbott.
The report found that “senior officials in the FBI Indianapolis Field Office failed to respond to allegations of sexual abuse of athletes” by Nassar “with the urgency that the allegations required.”
Talking specifically about Abbott, the report concluded that he made false statements to investigators and “violated FBI policy and exercised extremely poor judgment under federal ethics rules.”
Full report on the FBI’s handling of Larry Nassar gymnastics abuse
Who is W. Jay Abbott?
Abbott retired from the FBI in January 2018.
Abbott spent 30 years with the agency, according to a news release announcing his retirement. He was named special agent in charge to the Indianapolis field office on July 8, 2014. As the special agent in charge, Abbott was the highest-ranking official in the Indianapolis field office.
Indianapolis FBI made ‘fundamental errors’
What is W. Jay Abbott accused of in the handling of the Nassar case?
The report found Abbott lied about the Indianapolis field office’s handling of the Nassar allegations. According to the report, Abbott claimed to have communicated with the FBI Detroit and Los Angeles field offices about the allegations, but both offices denied any such conversations.
“… even after being told that his testimony was inconsistent with the testimony of other witnesses and the records we reviewed, Abbott continued to insist that his recollection was accurate and denied that there was any reason he would have a faulty memory.”
The report also found Abbott violated FBI policy when he communicated with then-USA Gymnastics President Stephen Penny Jr. about a potential job opportunity with the U.S. Olympic Committee.
“Abbott communicated with Penny about the potential job opportunity while the two continued to discuss the allegations against Nassar and while Abbott took an active role in conversations about the FBI’s public statements regarding USA Gymnastics’ handling of those allegations,” the report reads.
The Inspector General investigation found Abbott and Penny met at a bar in the fall of 2015 to discuss the job opportunity even as the Nassar investigation was pending.
“These discussions included Penny expressing concern to Abbott about how USA Gymnastics was being portrayed in the media and whether Penny might be ‘in trouble’ and Abbott proposing to his colleagues an FBI public statement that would place USA Gymnastics in a positive light. At the same time, Abbott was aware that Penny appeared willing to put in a good word on Abbott’s behalf.”
edepompei@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter: @edepompei.