Was it Manslaughter? – 

Jan. 23, 2020  – Earlier on Thursday, Insys sales chief Alec Burkaloff was sentenced to 26 months in prison for his role in the bribery and fraud scheme. “This was an offense of greed,” U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said before sentencing Burlakoff. 

The sales executive hired a stripper as a Subsys sales representative to help persuade doctors to boost prescriptions. The woman, named Sunrise Lee, eventually was promoted to oversee a third of the company’s sales force. 

“I didn’t think of who we were at Insys, and how unethical what we were doing was,” he told the judge on Thursday, according to Bloomberg. “The only thing I could think was how could I keep up with the fast and furious pace necessary to get ahead.” 

For the federal government this was a landmark trial in which corporate executives were charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act or RICO, a charge often reserved for mob bosses and drug lords. Experts saw the trial as sending a message to drug companies that they will be held criminally accountable for their alleged role in fueling the opioid crisis.

@NPR