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Medical Device Company Reaches Second FCPA Settlement in the Span of Five Years
On January 18, Texas-based medical device company Orthofix International N.V. (Orthofix) admitted wrongdoing and agreed to pay approximately $6 million to the SEC to settle FCPA books and records and internal controls charges in connection with improper payments made by its Brazilian subsidiary to doctors through third parties. In related non-FCPA proceedings, Orthofix also agreed to pay a $8.25 million penalty to resolve various accounting violations, and former executives Jeff Hammel, Kenneth Mack, Bryan McMillan, and Brian McCollum each consented to accounting-related SEC orders without admitting or denying the findings.
According to the Administrative Order Instituting Cease-and-Desist Proceedings, Orthofix’s Brazilian subsidiary Orthofix do Brasil LTDA employed third-party commercial representatives and distributors to make improper payments to doctors employed at government-owned hospitals to induce them to use Orthofix’s products, thereby increasing sales. Orthofix also improperly recorded revenue, leading to the related accounting charges.
In settling with the SEC, Orthofix has now resolved two separate FCPA cases in the span of five years. In 2012, Orthofix resolved FCPA actions with both the SEC and DOJ in connection with bribes paid to Mexican officials by its Mexican subsidiary. Given the prior corruption and internal controls issues, the SEC found that Orthofix failed to devise and maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances to detect and prevent such payments. Orthofix agreed to hire a compliance consultant for one year.
Orthofix Deferred Prosecution Agreement Extended for Two Months
In a recently-filed status report, the DOJ and medical device manufacturer Orthofix revealed that the company's Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) will be extended by two months. The DPA was due to expire on July 17, 2015, but the status report states that Orthofix agreed to the extension in June to give DOJ "additional time to (1) evaluate Orthofixs compliance with the internal controls and compliance undertakings in the DPA and (2) further investigate potentially improper conduct the company disclosed during the term of the DPA." The report continued that DOJ intended to complete its investigation in August and inform Orthofix "of its proposed course of action shortly thereafter." Orthofix entered into the DPA on July 10, 2012 to resolve allegations that a Mexico-based subsidiary paid bribes to employees of Mexico's government-operated health system (see prior FCPA scorecard coverage). Earlier this year, another medical device manufacturer, Biomet, announced that its DPA would be extended for one year after it disclosed additional potential FCPA violations to the DOJ and SEC.
Sector Sweep Continues: Medical Device Manufacturer Orthofix Resolves FCPA Violations Related to Conduct in Mexico
On July 10, 2012, medical device manufacture Orthofix International N.V. became the latest in a string of companies in the sector to resolve an FCPA matter with the U.S. government. The Orthofix FCPA resolution calls for the company to pay a criminal fine to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) of $2.22 million, and a civil monetary sanction (including disgorgement and interest) of $5.2 million to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The DOJ resolved the matter through a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, which was attached to the company's 8-K of July 10, 2012, reporting the resolution. According to the allegations in the SEC's Complaint, Promeca S.A. de C.V, a subsidiary based in Mexico, paid bribes to employees of the government-operated health care system, referring to the payments as "chocolates" and booking inaccurate reimbursement requests as meals, car tires or training expenses. The Mexico subsidiary made approximately $317,000 in improper payments over a 7-year period, according to the SEC. As initially reported in an August 31, 2010 8-K, the company disclosed to the DOJ and the SEC that it was investigating certain conduct at Promeca. The FCPA resolution follows a June 7, 2012 guilty plea by the U.S. subsidiary, Orthofix Inc., on a False Claims Act-related matter, resulting in $7.8 million fine and payment of over $34 million to resolve a civil action (see DOJ Press Release). The settlement adds Orthofix to the list of device manufacturers that have settled FCPA matters in 2012, along with Smith & Nephew and Biomet, which settled in February and March 2012, respectively.