A former dean of Michigan State University who oversaw disgraced doctor Larry Nassar was sentenced Wednesday to serve up to a year in jail after he was convicted of neglect of duty and misconduct.
William Strampel, 71, had faced up to five years in prison, according to The Associated Press. The former College of Osteopathic Medicine dean had been convicted of sexually harassing and propositioning students and failing to enforce restrictions on Nassar.
Defense attorney John Dakmak had recommended that his client receive probation. He said that Strampel had health concerns and noted his service to the school, according to the AP. {mosads}
“The jury has spoken and we’re not hiding from that,” he said. “We understand he has been found guilty. To answer for that doesn’t mean we disregard a life … of service.”
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel (D), in a statement to the AP, lauded those who had testified against Strampel.
“While Mr. Strampel’s sentence will never give back the years of pain and suffering his victims had to endure, the persistence of these courageous survivors made certain that he could no longer hide behind the title he once held to escape the reach of justice,” she said.
During the trial, many former students said that Strampel had made sexual and suggestive comments to them.
The ex-dean had been acquitted of a more serious charge after he was accused of grabbing a student’s backside.
Strampel was charged in an investigation into the university’s handling of complaints against Nassar, who has pleaded guilty to molesting patients.