From The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/world/europe/defective-breast-implant-sales-draw-prison-term-for-french-executive.html?_r=0
By MAÏA de la BAUME
Published: December 10, 2013
PARIS — A court in Marseille, France, sentenced the founder of a French company on Tuesday to four years in prison for selling hundreds of thousands of defective breast implants in more than 65 countries.
Jean-Claude Mas, 74, the founder of Poly Implant Prothèse, and four of his former employees were found guilty last spring of aggravated fraud after their company used a less expensive, industrial-grade silicone to fill implants for a decade. The implants ruptured at a much higher rate than the industry norm, leaking silicone into body tissues.
During the trial, which involved 7,400 civil plaintiffs and 300 lawyers, Mr. Mas acknowledged that his company had used a cheaper, unapproved product in its implants, but he argued that it was not harmful.
More than 16,000 women have had their implants removed since the scandal emerged in 2010. Poly Implant Prothèse, which was founded in 1991, was closed by the French authorities in March 2010.
Complete article at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/11/world/europe/defective-breast-implant-sales-draw-prison-term-for-french-executive.html?_r=0
