Glenn Chin Sentenced for Involuntary Manslaughter in Michigan
A Massachusetts pharmacist, Glenn Chin, was sentenced to 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison by a Michigan court for his role in a 2012 fungal meningitis outbreak that claimed the lives of dozens, including 11 people in Michigan. Chin, 56, supervised production at the New England Compounding Center (NECC), the facility responsible for distributing contaminated steroids that led to the outbreak.
Chin pleaded no contest to 11 counts of involuntary manslaughter in Michigan, and his sentence will be served concurrently with a separate 10 1/2-year federal prison term for racketeering, fraud, and other related charges.
A Tragic Case of Medical Negligence
The meningitis outbreak, which affected more than 700 people across 20 states, stemmed from unsanitary conditions at NECC’s Framingham, Massachusetts lab. Steroids produced at the facility were found to be contaminated with mold and other harmful substances, leading to severe illnesses, including fungal meningitis, and causing multiple deaths.
In court, Judge Matthew J. McGivney expressed that Chin’s actions, including failure to test drugs for sterility and falsifying records, showed clear disregard for patient safety.
“There could be no doubt that you knew the risks you were exposing these innocent patients to,” McGivney said during sentencing. “Your focus on increased sales and margins cost people their lives.”
No Statements from Chin or Victims’ Families
Neither Chin nor the relatives of the Michigan victims spoke during the sentencing. Chin’s defense attorney, Bill Livingston, said his client feels deep grief for the lives lost due to the outbreak.
Chin will receive credit for more than 6 1/2 years already served. His federal sentence, which began after a 2017 trial in Boston, will run concurrently with his state sentence.
A Broader Scandal
The NECC scandal led to widespread outrage after it was revealed that the compounding pharmacy, under Chin’s supervision, failed to follow proper sterilization and safety protocols. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 700 people suffered from fungal meningitis or other debilitating illnesses due to the tainted steroids.
Barry Cadden, NECC’s co-owner and Chin’s boss, also faced charges in connection with the outbreak. Cadden pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in Michigan earlier this year and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. His state sentence runs alongside a 14 1/2-year federal sentence for related crimes.
Closure for the Victims’ Families
While the sentencing brings some closure to the families of the victims, many remain critical of the legal proceedings, arguing that the penalties do not fully account for the scale of suffering caused by the outbreak. Chin’s Michigan sentence marks one of the final legal chapters in a case that has spanned over a decade and devastated countless families across the U.S.
