The final defendant in the case of New England Compounding Center, a non-defunct pharmacy that sold moldy steroid drugs made in unsanitary conditions, leading to the deaths of more than 100 people, was sentenced Dec. 13 to five months in prison.
Sharon Carter, 58, the NECC's former director of operations, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the FDA in 2018, according to a Justice Department news release.
Ten years after the 2012 outbreak of fungal meningitis that sprouted from the NECC killed more than 100 people and hospitalized about 750 people, five workers have been sentenced for their roles in the biggest public health crisis ever caused by a contaminated medication.
"The victims in this case — all trusting, innocent people — were simply seeking pain relief," U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said in a statement. "Instead, those who survived were sentenced to a lifetime of anguish and trauma."
Former co-owner Barry Cadden was sentenced to nine years in prison, former co-owner and vice president Gregory Conigliaro was sentenced to one year in prison, pharmacist Gene Svirskiy was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and pharmacist Christopher Leary got eight months of home confinement.