USA gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar gets 60 years in prison

Former Team USA Olympic gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, has pleaded guilty to federal child pornography and will face 60 years in prison. Photo / AP

Former Team USA gymnastics doctor, Larry Nassar, was been sentenced to 60 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to federal child pornography charges.

US district Judge Janet Neff followed the government's recommendation in the case saying Nassar "should never again have access to children".

Nassar was sentenced to 20 years on each of the three child pornography charges and the federal sentence's will be served consecutively, Neff said.

The 54-year-old's sentence will also be served consecutive to the prison time he received for the 10 sexual assault charges he pleaded guilty to in two Michigan state cases in recent weeks.

Nassar was accused of molesting girls while working for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University.

Nassar's sexual abuse took place mostly under the guise of treatment at his Lansing-area home but also at USA's Gymnastics' national training centre and during the 2012 London Olympics.

Read more: The Latest: Another guilty plea from Michigan sports doctor

Nassar admitted to molesting girls with his hands when they sought treatment for hip and back pain after more than 140 former gymnasts and young girls alleged Nassar sexually abused them when they teenagers.

"Underneath this veneer lurked a predator," assistant US attorney Sean Lewis said in a court filing.

Olympians Gabby Douglas, Alexandra Raismand and McKayla Maroeny, who were part of the 'fierce five' gymnastics team that won gold medal at the 2012 Olympics, said they were victims when Nassar worked for USA Gymnastics and accompanied them at workouts or international events.

Gabrielle Douglas, Alexandra Raisman and McKayla Maroney were part of the 140 girls who said they were molested by Nassar. Photo / Getty

Two-time Olympic gold medallist McKayla Maroney told court in an open letter that Nassar is a "monster". Photo / Getty

In her victim-impact statement, Maroeny wrote "Nassar is a monster ... who "left scars on my psyche that may never go away".

"It started when I was 13 years old, at one of my first national team training camps, in Texas, and it didn't end until I left the sport."

In a court filing, defense lawyers said Nassar "deeply regrets the pain that he has caused the community".

The child abuse imagery was discovered last year when Nassar was being investigated for assault.