Judge rejects $296M plea deal for Guidant

A federal judge in St. Paul has rejected a plea bargain by Boston Scientific's Guidant unit, which is based in Arden Hills.

The company had agreed to pay nearly $300 million and plead guilty to misdemeanor criminal charges. The company allegedly concealed information from federal regulators regarding catastrophic failures in some of its implantable heart devices.

Judge Donovan Frank said settlement with federal proseuctors doesn't address criminal conduct at issue. It's unclear what the Justice Department will do. Jeanne Cooney is a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office.

"It's a lengthy order and we are looking at it very closely. And until we have reviewed it fully, we will not have any more comment," Cooney said.

Two doctors who cared for a man who died after his Guidant device malfunctioned were among those who urged the judge to reject the plea.

Judge Frank objected that the deal doesn't put Guidant on probation. He also suggested the company could be required to set up an ethics program to avoid repeating past misconduct.

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