The man who was supposed to watch over serial pedophile Larry Nassar is now facing sexual harassment and sexual assault charges of his own.
Investigators charged William Strampel, the former dean of Michigan State University’s school of osteopathic medicine, with sexually assaulting and harassing four female students, according to a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday. Strampel is also facing charges for allegedly mishandling a 2014 complaint that Nassar — who worked as a doctor in a Michigan State University clinic — sexually assaulted a patient.
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Strampel asked students for sexual favors and photos of themselves naked, according to a copy of the criminal complaint obtained by the Washington Post. He allegedly had one student spin in a circle in front of him and told her that she needed to dress sexier to succeed as a doctor. On another occasion, he allegedly asked the same student, “What do I have to do to teach you to be submissive and subordinate to men?” He also grabbed two students’ buttocks without their permission, according to the complaint.
When investigators searched the 70-year-old Strampel’s computer, they found about 50 photos of vaginas, many of which seemed to be selfies taken by Michigan State students. Strampel also had pornography on the computer and, according to the complaint, “a video of Dr. Larry Nassar performing ‘treatment’ on a young female patient.”
It is unclear from the complaint what that “treatment” was.
“My client denies that he ever engaged in any inappropriate touching of anyone, any student or otherwise,” Strampel’s attorney, John Dakmak, told the Associated Press. “He denies that there was any quid pro quo for sexual favors in exchange for any type of standing within the university, or the medical school.”
Dakmak also denied that Strampel failed to properly oversee Nassar after a patient accused Nassar of touching her sexually in April 2014. Though Nassar stopped seeing patients while Michigan State’s Title IX office investigated the incident, Strampel let him start practicing again in late July 2014. Strampel failed to ensure that Nassar followed protocols that the pair had agreed on, such as wearing gloves, according to the complaint.
Nassar committed at least 12 assaults after that incident, the Associated Press reported.
Strampel was arrested on Monday night for one felony charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and three misdemeanors, including one count of misconduct in office and two counts of neglect of duty. Nassar, who pled guilty to possessing child pornography and molesting patients, is currently imprisoned on a centuries-long sentence. More than 260 people have said that Nassar abused them.
In a statement, Michigan State University interim president John Engler condemned Strampel.
“While the crimes of one doctor and the misconduct of his dean do not represent our university, they do demand the scrutiny of everyone in order to assure individuals like these can never be in a position to harm others,” he said.
Cover image: William Strampel appears on a monitor during his video arraignment, Tuesday, March 27, 2018, in East Lansing, Michigan. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
