JACKSON, Miss. (Legal Newsline) — Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced May 18 that Branan Medical Corp. will pay $2 million after allegations of a bribery scandal.
Hood had sued 22 people and companies associated with the purported scheme in 11 separate lawsuits, seeking more than $800 million in recovery funds. According to Hood, the defendants had received this money from the state because of bribes taken by Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps. Branan is the first company to settle.
The scheme involved Texas drug-testing supplier Mark Longoria, CEO of Drug Testing Corp. and sales representative for Branan. Longoria purportedly paid roughly $230,000 to Mississippi businessman Cecil McCrory for his work securing $782,000 drug testing cup sales between 2013 and 2014. McCrory sent $60,000 of this to Epps as kickback money, and Longoria admitted he found out about it.
"They were one of the first companies to approach our office seeking settlement in this case," Hood said in a statement. "Due to their cooperation we have quickly resolved this matter."
Branan did not admit to any wrongdoing.