McKayla Maroney details abuse by former USA Gymnastics doctor in chilling letter to referee

Maroney, 21, was originally scheduled to give a victim impact statement in a federal courtroom or on Thursday, but the judge instead instructed her and other victims (and family members of victims) to submit their statements in the form of letters. Marony and her mother are demanding the maximum sentence for Nassar.

“This experience has devastated McKayla,” her mother, Erin, wrote in a letter to the court obtained by ESPN. “She went from being an energetic, positive, loving world-class athlete to a young adult who was deeply troubled, at times suicidal. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if I would open her bedroom door and find her dead.”

Maroney initially disclosed the alleged abuse in an October Twitter post, writing at the time that she was only 13 years old when the abuse began and adding that it continued until she left the sport.

“Because parents were not allowed to be present at national team training camps, my mom and dad were unable to watch what Nassar was doing,” Maroney wrote.

She described an incident that allegedly occurred in 2011 when she was competing in the world championships in Tokyo. Maroney wrote that Nassar “gave me a sleeping pill for the flight and the next thing I knew I was alone with him in his hotel room undergoing treatment.”

Erin detailed Maroney’s account of the alleged incident in her own letter.

“(Nassar) drugged her, made her lie naked on an examination table, straddled her and digitally penetrated her by rubbing his erect penis against her,” Erin wrote. “She was only 15 years old. She said to me, “Mom, I thought I was going to die.” “

Erin added: “I can’t describe the anguish my dad and I feel and our responsibility because we are unaware of it and unable to prevent it.”

Erin wrote that neither she nor her husband were ever allowed into any training facility. She noted that when her husband questioned former USA Gymnastics president Steve Penny about the girls’ isolation, Penny allegedly assured them they were safe: “We now know that was a lie,” Erin wrote in the letter, according to ESPN .

Penny resigned from his position in March.

The mother and daughter criticized USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, with Erin writing that these entities “completely failed” the medalist.

Larry Nassar admits to sexually abusing girls in Michigan

More than 130 women and girls have accused Nassar of assault, including gymnasts Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. Last month, as part of a plea agreement, Nassar pleaded guilty to a total of 10 criminal sexual conduct charges in two Michigan counties. Sentencing on these charges is scheduled for January 13, 2018.

Nassar’s lawyers released a statement obtained by PEOPLE last month after his initial guilty plea that stated in part: “As our client indicated in court today, he hopes that his guilty plea will begin the process of healing for those who were subject to criminal proceedings, state criminal proceedings.”

USA Gymnastics also released a statement following its guilty plea last month, saying in part that the organization was “very sorry that Larry Nassar harmed any athlete. After first learning of athletes’ concerns about Nassar in 2015, USA Gymnastics reported him to the FBI and released him from any affiliation with USA Gymnastics. USA Gymnastics also views Nassar’s guilty plea as an important confirmation of his horrific and devious behavior that allows for punishment without further victimization of survivors. “

In July, Nassar pleaded guilty in federal court to three child pornography charges, ABC News reports via ESPN. Nassar is expected to be sentenced at Thursday’s hearing on the child pornography charge. It’s unclear how long Nassar will spend behind bars, but Maroney in her letter to the court pushed for the harshest sentence possible.

“He abused my trust, abused my body and left scars on my psyche that may never heal,” Maroney told the court in her written submission. “Larry Nassar deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison.”