Dedham Couple Pleads Guilty in NECC Meningitis Outbreak Case

DEDHAM, MA —A couple charged in the New England Compounding Center outbreak case that left at over 60 people dead pleaded guilty to illegally moving over $100,000 to avoid reporting laws.

Friday, Carla Conigliaro, 53, the majority owner of NECC and her husband, Douglas Conigliaro, 55, both of Dedham, Mass., each pleaded guilty to withdrawing cash from their bank accounts in a manner intended to avoid financial reporting requirements, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 1, 2016.

In September 2012, NECC was investigated for a multi-state meningitis outbreak in patients who received contaminated preservative-free MPA steroid injections from the Framingham-based company. On Oct. 31, 2012, the day a search warrant was executed at NECC, the two began withdrawing unusual sums of cash from their personal bank accounts. The cash transactions were structured by the Conigliaros in a manner so as to evade the $10,000 reporting requirement for the filing of a currency transaction report. The Conigliaros admitted to withdrawing $124,000 in cash in this manner, according to the U.S. Attorney's office.

In 2014, the Conigliaros and 12 other employees and associates of NECC were charged in a federal indictment. The Conigliaros are not charged with having an active role in the operations or management of NECC.

Others connected to the company face murder charges.

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