2017 in Review: Fraud Prosecutions Head to Sentencing as Related Civil Cases Start Moving

The first participant in the Southern California spinal surgery scheme was sent to prison in 2017, and eight more are scheduled to follow with sentencing dates in the first few months of 2018. Federal prosecutors also secured a jury conviction on all 39 counts alleged in a separate kickback scheme involving chiropractors and ancillary service providers in the southern part of the state. While the federal prosecutions appear to be winding down, a related batch of civil cases alleging that counterfeit hardware was used to maximize the illicit gains from the scheme are starting to move for...