New Delhi [India], May 23 : Martin Elling, former partner at McKinsey & Co., received a six-month prison sentence for obstructing justice, Reuters reported on Thursday.
The ex- McKinsey partner was involved in destruction of documents related to the consulting firm's advice to Purdue Pharma on how to aggressively increase sales of their opioid painkiller, OxyContin.
As reported by Reuters, U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou delivered the sentence in Abingdon, Virginia, after McKinsey's December agreement to pay USD 650 million to settle related charges from the U.S. Department of Justice regarding their work for Purdue.
Prosecutors in the case had sought a one-year prison term after Elling's guilty plea in January. His lawyer argued that any jail time would be "devastating" and bar him from living in his new residence in Thailand.
A representative for Elling's legal team confirmed the sentence and stated that he is apologetic for his actions.
Purdue Pharma itself admitted guilt in 2020 to charges related to the misconduct related to its marketing and sale of its prescription painkillers.
Elling played a role in securing McKinsey's work with Purdue in 2013, which led to the New York-based firm developing a strategy to significantly increase OxyContin sales.
Prosecutors detailed that this strategy involved targeting "high-value" medical professionals, including those who prescribed opioids inappropriately.
Court documents revealed that Elling was among a small group of McKinsey partners who attended a 2013 meeting with the Sackler family, the owners of Purdue Pharma, who ultimately approved McKinsey's proposal.
In July 2018, after learning about a lawsuit filed against Purdue by the Massachusetts attorney general, Elling emailed a McKinsey colleague questioning whether they should "eliminate all our documents and emails."
The following month, Elling emailed himself a reminder to "delete old pur (Purdue Pharma) documents from laptop," and prosecutors stated that a forensic analysis confirmed he did so.
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