Deadlines Set in NECC Criminal Case

By Walter F. Roche Jr.

With an Oct. 2 trial date approaching, a series of deadlines have been set for the trial of the nine remaining defendants in the criminal case stemming from a deadly 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak.
In an order issued yesterday, U.S. District Judge Richard G. Stearns sitting in Boston,Mass. reaffirmed the opening date for the trial of nine persons with affiliations to the now defunct New England Compounding Center, the company blamed for producing the steroids that sickened 778 patients, killing 76 of them.
The nine remaining defendants, however, have not been charged in any of those deaths but rather with conspiracy, racketeering, mail fraud and related charges in discharging their duties at the company that was located in Framingham, Mass., a Boston suburb.
In addition to the Stearns order, lawyers for the defendants and federal prosecutors themselves filed an agreed schedule for a series of disclosures leading up to the October trial date.
Prosecutors will provide their witness list by Aug.7 and a list of experts by Aug. 17. Defendants will provide their experts list by Sept. 17. Both will disclose exhibits by Aug. 24.
The remaining defendants are Michelle Thomas, Gregory Conigliaro, Kathy Chin, Sharon Carter, Alla Stepanets, Christopher Leary, Scott Connolly, Joseph Evanosky and Gene Svirskiy.
They held various positions at NECC including vice president, which was Conigliaro's title. He also was a part owner. Most were working as licensed pharmacists or pharmacist technicians. Scott Connolly was a pharmacy technician who had surrendered his license but continued in that role at NECC.
Gregory's brother, Douglas and his wife entered guilty pleas to reduced charges and avoided any jail time. Barry Cadden, who was NECC's president, is serving a nine year sentence following his conviction on racketeering, conspiracy and mail fraud charges while supervisory pharmacist Glenn Chin is serving an eight year sentence following his conviction on similar charges.
Both Cadden and Chin were cleared of second degree racketeering murder charges.
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