BOISE, Idaho — A Burley doctor has been sentenced in federal court to seven months in prison for his role in a counterfeit breast implant scheme.
Temp Ray Patterson, 55, admitted in September to buying counterfeit breast implants from China, then surgically implanting them into as many as nine women.
Patterson, who pleaded guilty to a felony count of receipt and delivery of misbranded devices, was also sentenced on Thursday to one year of supervised release following his incarceration, and ordered to pay $18,200 in restitution and fees.
Medical devices, including breast implants, are regulated under the Food and Drug Administration to make sure they are safe for patients.
According to a plea agreement, Patterson got around that standard by purchasing implants from China and having them shipped to Idaho, where he passed them off as legitimate, officially-sanctioned devices.
Court records show that from March 2014 through April 2015, Patterson knowingly implanted in patients nine pairs of misbranded breast implants that were not approved by the FDA.
"Members of the community trust their medical providers to use FDA-approved products," U.S. Attorney Bart Davis said in a statement. "Doctors who choose to mislead their patients and use unapproved products will be prosecuted."
According to the Idaho Board of Medicine's online database, Patterson is no longer licensed to practice as a doctor.
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