Burlington, Vermont – A Pennsylvania man has been sentenced to a one-year term of probation and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine for attempting to obstruct a federal grand jury’s investigation into an illegal kickback scheme involving Purdue Pharma L.P. and Practice Fusion, an electronic medical records company.
Steven Mack, 49, of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by United States District Judge William K. Sessions III to a one-year term of probation and ordered to pay a $20,000 fine and perform community service. Mack previously pleaded guilty to attempting to obstruct a federal grand jury’s investigation into an illegal kickback that Purdue Pharma L.P. paid to Mack’s former employer, Practice Fusion.
According to court records, while working at Practice Fusion, Mack contributed to his employer’s successful efforts to persuade Purdue Pharma L.P. to pay Practice Fusion almost one million dollars in exchange for Practice Fusion altering its physician-facing user interface to generate more opioid prescriptions. In 2020, Purdue Pharma L.P. entered a plea of guilty relating to this arrangement in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and Practice Fusion accepted responsibility for its role pursuant to a deferred prosecution agreement filed in United States District Court for the District of Vermont in case number 2:20-cr-11-wks. Pursuant to that agreement, Practice Fusion agreed to pay a criminal fine of more than $25 million.
In late 2019, knowing that the United States Department of Health and Human Services was investigating this illegal kickback scheme, Mack intentionally deleted from his employer-issued computer documents that were relevant to the government’s investigation. In recognition of the underlying opioid-promoting kickback scheme, Judge Sessions ordered as a condition of probation that Mack perform 40 hours of community service arranged by a probation officer and involving services for persons suffering from drug addiction.
As part of his plea agreement Mack agreed to cooperate with law enforcement and to provide truthful testimony. Because of Mack’s cooperation, the United States recommended that Mack receive a non-incarcerative sentence.
United States Attorney Nikolas P. Kerest commended the investigation of the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Drescher, and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Owen Foster. Mack was represented by Stephen Huggard, Esq., of Boston, Massachusetts, and Lisa Shelkrot, Esq., of Burlington, Vermont.
Mandatory facts include:
Defendant: Steven Mack
Criminal Charges: Attempting to obstruct a federal grand jury’s investigation into an illegal kickback scheme
City and State: Burlington, Vermont
Date: May 13, 2024
Sentence: One-year term of probation and $20,000 fine
Dollar Amounts: $20,000 fine, $25 million in penalties from Practice Fusion
Related Federal Cases
- Steven Mack, Obstruction of Investigation, Pennsylvania 2020 · Massachusetts
- Live Nation/Ticketmaster Rejected DOJ Settlement, New York NY, 2023 · New York
- Ticketmaster, Antitrust Violation, New York NY, 2023 · Oklahoma
- Jaymark Larios, Bank Fraud, Rhode Island 2025 · Massachusetts
- Steven Mack, Obstructing Investigation, Pennsylvania 2024 · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Vermont
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
