The founder of a French breast implant company that sold faulty devices has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Jean-Claude Mas, who founded Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had been arrested in 2012 on charges of causing bodily harm. The charges were the result of an investigation that his company’s breast implants contained nonmedical grade silicone gel that caused some implants to rupture.
The French government in December 2011 advised as many as 30,000 patients who had received PIP implants to have the devices removed, after warnings from health officials that the implants could be more likely to rupture than implants made by other manufacturers.
PIP implants reportedly contained a mixture of agricultural- and industrial-grade silicone. As many as 300,000 women from 65 countries may have had the devices implanted.
A French court sentenced Mr. Mas, 74, to four years in prison for fraud, and issued a fine of 75,000 euros (about $103,000), BBC News reports. He will be allowed to remain free as he appeals his sentence.
