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A Queens man has been arrested for allegedly stealing over three quarters of a million dollars from a Bronx HHC hospital by billing the hospital for spinal surgery implants that he never supplied.
Brian Lew, 31, of 251-03 60th Avenue in Little Neck was charged with one count of grand larceny in the second degree. If convicted Lew faces up to 15 years in prison.
According to the felony complaint filed in Bronx County Criminal Court, Lew worked at Jacobi Medical Center in the Bronx as a surgical implant salesperson for Spinal Dimensions, Inc., a distributor for Depuy Spine, Inc., a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, headquartered in Raynham, Mass. Depuy supplies implants primarily to spinal and orthopedic surgeons.
It is alleged that Lew, who was paid a commission of between five and eight percent for the implants he sold, submitted false invoices for orthopedic implants such as screws, cages, and bolts that were never supplied by Depuy. The complaint alleges that Lew cheated the hospital in two ways: In some instances he submitted invoices for items that were never supplied and, in other instances, he submitted invoices for items that were actually supplied by companies other than Depuy. Altogether, it is alleged that Lew caused the hospital to pay Depuy at least $750,000 for implants that Depuy never supplied to the hospital.
The Attorney General's office said that Depuy cooperated fully with the investigation. 9-29-05
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