Former S.D. dentist pleads guilty to $17m medtech fraud scheme

A former dentist from South Dakota plead guilty last week to a $16.6 million scheme to defraud consumers through the sale of a sham laser device and associated treatments, promising it would cure more than 200 different conditions, according to a US Department of Justice report. The plea was the finale to a three-year effort from the DoJ to halt the distribution of the device, known as the “QLaser System”, according to the report. The defendant, 82-year-old Robert Lytle of Rapid City, S.D., plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to introduce misbranded medical devices into interstate commerce with the intent to defraud and mislead, and one count of criminal contempt. The pleas made were part of a plea agreement, according to the DoJ release. “Victimizing the elderly and those suffering from serious illnesses are among the most detestable of crimes, and to persist with the QLaser fraud even after being ordered to stop by a federal court is even more abhorrent. The Justice Department is committed to protecting Americans from elder abuse and medical frauds,” US DoJ Civil Division Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler said in a prepared statement. Two co-conspirators in the scheme had previously plead guilty for their parts, while criminal contempt charges against a fourth individual were dropped by the government. The individuals involved in the scheme reportedly marketed and distributed the QLaser device to consumers, claiming the systems ...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: Legal News Regulatory/Compliance U.S. Justice Dept. (DOJ) Source Type: news