Two former employees of Southfield, Mich.-based Beaumont Health and a medical supply distributor have been charged with wire fraud for their alleged involvement in a scheme to steal medical devices and supplies from Beaumont and sell them, the Department of Justice announced Jan. 14.
According to the indictment, Paul Purdy, a former Beaumont employee, stole medical devices and supplies from the hospital and resold them on the internet from 2003 to 2017. When he resigned from Beaumont in 2017, he allegedly enlisted Valdet Serferovic, a hospital employee, to continue the scheme. Mr. Purdy and Mr. Serferovic allegedly stole three types of medical devices: cystoscopes, ophthalmoscopes and otoscopes.
"Some of the medical devices stolen and resold over the Internet were possibly contaminated devices that were previously used in various surgical and other medical procedures on patients," states the indictment, according to The Detroit News.
In September 2017, Mr. Serferovic allegedly agreed to steal and sell medical devices and supplies to Zafar Khan, the owner of Surgical Suppliers of America. Mr. Khan allegedly sold the devices and supplies on the internet.
"These defendants used their employment status to circumvent the safety protocols established by Beaumont Hospital to profit from the theft of medical devices and put the health and safety of the general public at risk in doing so," U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider said. "This indictment should send a clear message that our office is committed to prosecuting anyone who would endanger the health and safety of the general public for personal gain."