Pharmacist accused in US meningitis outbreak deaths to enter no contest plea in Michigan

A pharmacist from Massachusetts, Glenn Chin, who faced murder charges in connection to the deaths of 11 Michigan residents during a 2012 meningitis outbreak, has decided to enter a plea of no contest to involuntary manslaughter. This agreement, which includes a 7 1/2-year prison sentence, with credit for his current longer sentence for federal crimes, was shared with families in an email by Johanna Delp of the state attorney general’s office. Chin will make his appearance in Livingston County court next Thursday, where the trial scheduled for November will no longer proceed.

Michigan is the sole state to prosecute both Glenn Chin and Barry Cadden, an executive at the New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts, for fatalities linked to the outbreak. The outbreak affected more than 700 individuals in 20 states, resulting in fungal meningitis and other severe illnesses, with dozens losing their lives due to contaminated steroids distributed to pain clinics, as noted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Investigators found the lab’s “clean room” where the steroids were prepared, to be contaminated with mold, insects, and cracks, with Chin overseeing the production.

Glenn Chin is presently serving a 10 1/2-year federal prison term for racketeering, fraud, and other offenses related to the outbreak, following a trial in Boston in 2017. Given the credit for his federal sentence, it is unlikely that Chin will serve additional time in Michigan’s custody. Chin expressed remorse during the Boston court proceedings, stating, “I am truly sorry that this ever occurred.” Requests for comments from Chin’s attorney were not immediately answered.

Earlier this year, Barry Cadden, aged 57, pleaded no contest to involuntary manslaughter in Michigan and received a 10-year prison sentence, with second-degree murder charges being dismissed. His state sentence is operating concurrently with a 14 1/2-year federal sentence, with credit for time spent in custody since 2018.