Pedro Sánchez's former aide Santos Cerdán has been remanded in custody over allegations of bribery and involvement in a criminal organization related to kickbacks from public contracts, intensifying corruption scandals surrounding Spain's government and affecting Sánchez's political standing.
A Texas doctor, Dr. Hector Ubaldo, has been convicted of accepting over $200,000 in kickbacks for directing patient blood and urine samples to specific labs, which then billed insurance companies and Medicare for tests. Ubaldo engaged in fraudulent medical advisory agreements to disguise these kickbacks. He was caught on video accepting cash and now faces up to 15 years in federal prison after being found guilty of conspiracy to pay and receive healthcare kickbacks.
A Singaporean minister has been charged with corruption for allegedly receiving kickbacks from a wealthy tycoon in exchange for advancing the tycoon's business interests. The minister, who was previously seen as a potential future leader, is accused of receiving bribes totaling millions of dollars over a period of several years. This case has raised concerns about corruption in Singapore's government and has led to calls for greater transparency and accountability.
Two pharmacists and a physician have been charged in a 13-count indictment for their involvement in a $170 million health care fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme. The pharmacists allegedly submitted false claims for high reimbursing drugs that were medically unnecessary, while the physician referred prescriptions to the pharmacies in exchange for illegal kickbacks and bribes. The scheme involved submitting fraudulent claims to the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Program. The defendants also allegedly attempted to conceal the proceeds of the criminal activity through money laundering. If convicted, they face significant prison sentences.
A former Apple employee, Dhirendra Prasad, has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay back over $19 million after taking kickbacks, stealing parts, inflating invoices, and causing Apple to pay for items and services it never received. Prasad pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He used his position at Apple to enrich himself at his employer's expense and also used his insider information regarding the company's fraud-detection techniques to design his criminal schemes.