Martin Elling Pleads Guilty to Obstruction of Justice
Martin Elling, a former partner at McKinsey & Co., pleaded guilty on Friday to obstructing justice by deleting records tied to the consulting firm’s work with Purdue Pharma. This work included strategies to increase sales of the opioid painkiller OxyContin.
Elling, 60, entered his plea in a Virginia federal court, just a month after McKinsey agreed to pay $650 million to settle related charges. Elling now faces up to a year in prison, with sentencing scheduled for April 4.
In a joint statement, Elling’s attorneys expressed his remorse: “He sincerely regrets his conduct for which he has fully accepted responsibility.”
Ties to Purdue Pharma and the Opioid Epidemic
Elling’s case stems from the larger investigation into Purdue Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis, which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports has caused nearly 727,000 overdose deaths since 1999.
McKinsey’s work for Purdue, initiated in 2013, included developing strategies to boost OxyContin sales by targeting “high-value” prescribers, even those allegedly prescribing opioids for illegitimate uses.
Elling was among a small group of McKinsey partners who attended a 2013 meeting with the Sackler family, Purdue Pharma’s owners, to present and finalize the firm’s proposal.
Evidence Destruction Sparks Legal Action
Elling’s guilty plea follows allegations that he destroyed documents tied to investigations of Purdue Pharma. Prosecutors highlighted an email from July 2018 in which Elling suggested discussing the possibility of “eliminating all our documents and emails” with McKinsey’s risk committee.
A month later, Elling emailed himself instructions to “delete old pur (Purdue Pharma) documents from laptop.” Forensic analysis confirmed that relevant materials had indeed been deleted from his computer.
Prosecutors Seek Accountability
Acting U.S. Attorney Zachary Lee emphasized the significance of the case, stating, “Today’s guilty plea moves us forward in holding accountable not only those corporations responsible for the opioid crisis in America, but also the executives who contributed to the tragedy.”
This case builds on Purdue Pharma’s own guilty plea in 2020 to charges of misconduct related to its marketing and sales practices.